Pattaya, Thailand:
Banglamung Patrol police opened fire to take out the tires of a suspected drug suspect’s vehicle while chasing him through a residential near Pattaya late on October 3rd, with stray rounds striking a school wall. The pursuit ended about 10 kilometers away after the car’s tire was punctured. No injuries were reported.
The incident began around 9 p.m. in Soi Wat Tham Samakkhi, in front of a school and temple in Nong Prue. Residents alerted The Pattaya News reporters to gunfire in the soi, saying the chase then continued onto Sukhumvit Road in South Pattaya toward Sattahip.
At the scene, in a busy community with shops and people shopping, officers found two 9mm shell casings in the middle of the road. Bullet marks were also visible on the school wall. No one was hurt.
Chitraphon Wongphikhat, 32, a grilled food vendor working nearby, said he and several customers saw a patrol unit chasing a white Honda Civic sedan. The car stopped and began to reverse towards police before officers fired multiple shots. He said some rounds struck the vehicle’s tires while others missed and hit the school wall. The sedan driver then sped off toward Sukhumvit Road, with police following.
Officers later cornered the car on the Thung Klom–Tan Man Road. The unidentified driver told The Pattaya News reporters he had taken illegal drugs and panicked when he saw the police, prompting him to flee. After officers fired at the tires, he said he feared being shot and drove on for more than 10 kilometers until a tire burst and he could go no farther.
Police took the driver for a drug test and a further search of the vehicle. They said he would be handed over to investigators for legal proceedings if illegal items were found.