Samut prakan: Police swiftly apprehended two teenagers involved in an online argument who engaged in a shootout, resulting in one death. A dispute between teenagers in Samut Prakan escalated into a shootout involving a group of over ten people who stormed their rivals' territory. A motorcycle chase ensued across provincial boundaries, resulting in one fatality. Police apprehended the gunman and other accomplices early that morning.
According to Thai News Agency, a mobile phone video captured by a local resident shows two opposing groups of teenagers on multiple motorcycles chasing and attacking each other with knives, firecrackers, and guns on a road in Thailan Subdistrict, Mueang Samut Prakan District, around 3:00 AM today. One person, 18-year-old Thanakorn Thanyawarakornkul, died after being shot in the chest with a shotgun, with multiple buckshot pellets hitting him.
Police pursued and apprehended two suspects within less than three hours: 17-year-old Guy, the gunman, and 14-year-old Tee, the motorcycle driver. They also arrested another accomplice who had an outstanding arrest warrant. The suspects were then taken to the crime scene at the elevated highway intersection near the Electricity Authority in Bang Muang Subdistrict, Mueang Samut Prakan District, to point out the location.
During questioning, the suspect confessed to committing the crime, claiming he fled to the Bang Pu area after the incident. He also claimed the homemade firearm used in the shooting was lost during his escape, but police are not yet convinced. A search of his residence also uncovered a pen gun.
The investigation revealed that the incident stemmed from an argument on social media. The suspect claimed that the deceased had posted insulting messages about his sibling, prompting him to confront the victim. This led to an exchange of insults and challenges on social media. On the night of the incident, the suspect and over 10 others went to the area near the village entrance, where a confrontation ensued, followed by a motorcycle chase to the electricity authority intersection. The suspect claimed that seeing the deceased's group following them led him to fire a shot.
Pol. Col. Chakrit Srirojanakul, Superintendent of Samut Prakan City Police Station, revealed that they received a report of the incident around 4:00 AM. Officers took only about two hours to track down and arrest the suspects, finishing around 6:30 AM. Initially, they are preparing to charge them with intentional homicide, jointly possessing firearms, and carrying firearms in a city, village, or public place.
A friend of the deceased recounted that the incident began when the perpetrators rode their motorcycles to the house in Soi Thailan 32 and threw glass bottles before fleeing. The friend and the deceased then pursued them on their motorcycles. Upon reaching a curve near the power plant intersection, the perpetrators pulled out a gun and shot the deceased, who was driving the motorcycle. The friend and the deceased then used knives to attack the perpetrators. During this time, the deceased managed to keep the motorcycle from falling and remained conscious, talking to friends all the way to the hospital before succumbing to his injuries.