On December 9, yesterday, a confrontation between two rival youth gangs in Pattaya led to gunshots and ping pong bombs, in which one teenager suffered serious injuries.
Police Captain Sonthaya Khonsap was on patrol when a group of teenagers, aged between 13 and 18, asked for help in front of a shopping mall on Sukhumvit Road, and they said someone had shot one of their friends.
Officers rushed the injured teen to a hospital, who had a gunshot wound that had pierced his left arm and lung, and he was bleeding heavily. Another teenager had swelling and bruises on his face after being beaten.
The incident took place on Nong Maikaen Road, near Soi Nong Maikaen 17, about five kilometres from The injured group escaped on motorcycles after the attack and ran into the police. From there, Pattaya police coordinated with the Nong Prue Police Station to investigate.
A 16 year old boy, referred to as A, said he had a conflict with the other group, and the confrontation began with motorcycle chases and fistfights. He claimed to have heard an explosion but didn’t know which side threw the bomb.
A stated that one of his friends pulled a knife to attack someone who was following them, but A stopped him, worried the person might be innocent.
Soon after, three teenagers riding a black Honda PCX motorcycle arrived, and one of them pulled a gun and shot A’s friend in the arm. They then punched him and asked, “Why did you throw the bomb?” in which A’s group denied it, and the attackers fled.
Another boy, 13 year old Yu, said he and his friends were just out riding their bikes for fun when they saw a large group of teens waiting for a confrontation. As they passed, someone threw a ping pong bomb at them. They tried to escape, but the attackers followed and assaulted them.
Yu said one of the attackers pointed a gun at his face and asked where he was from to which he didn’t answer, so the attackers left. Afterwards, Yu drove his injured friend to the hospital and then asked the police for help.
The girlfriend of the teen who was shot said the other group threatened to shoot them if they didn’t stop.
Khaosod reported that some other friends told a different story. They said they saw around 30 teenagers who seemed to be arguing, and that their group got caught in the chaos by accident. Because many youth groups were there, it was hard to tell who was with whom, which caused the confusion and escalation.
Police are waiting for the injured teens to recover so they can file a report. Officers are tracking down all suspects involved, including the shooter, to uncover the true cause of the incident and proceed with legal action.
In related news, police arrested a 17 year old Thai schoolboy for fatally shooting a 19 year old student in Nakhon Ratchasima. The teenage suspect claimed he opened fire after being attacked by a gang.
The story Teen shot and seriously injured in Pattaya gang clash as seen on Thaiger News.
