A hot-headed songthaew driver lost the plot during a road rage bust-up in Chumphon, pulling out a gun and blasting two men in broad daylight after a row over right of way.
The chaos erupted at around 3pm yesterday, July 17, just 300 metres from Chumphon City Hall, when a red public taxi pickup suddenly cut in front of a white Toyota Fortuner at the Clock Tower Intersection.
After the Fortuner’s driver honked, the pickup slammed on the brakes, sparking a minor collision and an explosive street fight.
Kanyaphat Ratipatchasiri, who was in the back seat with her baby granddaughter, described the bust up.
“The pickup swerved in front of us, then suddenly braked. We hit him, and the driver got out shouting. Then they were fighting right in the road.”
Her colleague, 31 year old Suriya, who was driving, stepped out and began arguing with the pickup driver, now identified as 38 year old Chanarong.
Things turned violent as fists flew, and then Chanarong pulled a .22-calibre handgun and opened fire.
Suriya was shot in the left arm. Another man, 49 year old Kriangsak, who had stepped out to help, was also targeted but escaped serious injury.
After firing three rounds, Chanarong fled in his pickup but not before Kriangsak snapped a photo of his yellow taxi plate and reported it to police.
Police quickly traced the vehicle to a local songthaew route operating between Chumphon Fishing Pier and Pak Nam Market.
Officers followed CCTV footage to track the suspect to a house in Hat Sai Ri, where he was hiding at a friend’s place.
Inside, they found the pickup and the handgun, still loaded with six bullets and three already fired, KhaoSod reported.
Back at the station, Chanarong came clean.
“I didn’t know the guy. I was just driving normally when he honked at me. I braked, and suddenly he was out of the car and attacking me.”
He claimed Suriya and another man punched and kicked him, forcing him to run to a nearby petrol station.
“I was scared for my wife and child, who were still in the car. So I took out my uncle’s gun and fired one shot into the ground, then two more at his legs.”
Police weren’t convinced by the tale of self-defence. Chanarong now faces a string of serious charges, including:
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Attempted murder
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Possession of a firearm without a licence
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Carrying a weapon in public without proper cause
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Firing a gun in a public place without justification
Suriya was taken to Chumphon Khet Udomsak Hospital and is in stable condition.
The terrifying incident, which unfolded with a child just metres away, sparked fresh concerns about gun violence and street justice on Thai roads.
As one officer put it: “All it took was a horn, and he pulled the trigger.”
The story Trigger-nometry: Songthaew driver goes ballistic in Thai traffic tiff as seen on Thaiger News.
