Suspect in ‘turf war’ fatal shootout claims self-defence

By KORNKAMON AKSORNDECH, 
KHANATHIT SRIHIRUNDAJ 
THE NATION

 

 

A KEY SUSPECT in a shootout in the car park of the Centara Watergate Pavillion Hotel on Sunday that left an Indian bystander dead and four other people injured has claimed that he was fired at by a rival group first, and was forced to defend himself and his friends.

 

Preecha Sak-udompaisal, 28, who was yesterday escorted by police to re-enact the crime at eight spots in the area of the crime, also said he had surrendered to police on Tuesday and handed over two .38 pistols in order to express his innocence. 

 

According to the crime re-enactment, Preecha’s group and the rival group led by Pornthep Pumpuang, 23, who was among the wounded, had a previous dispute over an alleged turf war. 

 

 

They ran into each other near the Krua Pratunam restaurant that night and Preecha says Pornthep’s group was the first to fire a gun, forcing him and his group to shoot back.

 

Dheeraj Gakhrejr, a 42-year-old Indian tourist eating with his compatriot and co-worker Sharma Dharmendra at a table behind the spot where Preecha’s group was standing, was shot dead by a stray bullet while Dharmendra was also wounded. 

 

After the crime re-enactment, Preecha was taken to court to apply for a 12-day detention period, with police opposing his bail.

 

 

Meanwhile, some 80 police officers raided 12 locations yesterday morning, looking for suspects in the shootout.

 

The memory card from a vehicle dashboard camera was seized from a Pratunam apartment and could hold clues. 

 

Police searched homes in Pratunam, Ramkhamhaeng, Tao Poon and Thon Buri areas, as well as houses in Nonthaburi and Pathum Thani provinces, in their hunt for five people still at large among the 11 suspects in the case. 

 

Six suspects are already in custody, including the wounded Pornthep, has now been moved to the Police General Hospital.

 

Pol Maj-General Senit Samransamruajkit, commander of Metropolitan Police Division 1, led the raid on the Pratunam apartment occupied by Savitree Sanguansap, the wife of Kwan Thongdee, 36, and their two children. They confiscated his dashboard camera memory card. 

 

Savitree said Kwan was not an aggressive man and would not get involved in a brawl, but she admitted he had not returned home since the day of the incident. 

 

 

Senit’s deputy, Pol Colonel Nakarin Sukhonthawit, said the shootout may have been the result of a power struggle but other possible motives were also still being investigated. He said the 7.62mm bullets fired could have come from a hunting rifle or a modified “Thai Pradit” gun. 

 

Nakarin said Preecha’s testimony had suggested the incident did not involve any “influential groups”. The deputy added that police would seek arrest warrants for 10 more suspects. 

 

Acting deputy city police chief Khatcha Thatsat later said a post-mortem on the dead tourist had determined he was killed by a low-pressure bullet, not one fired from a military weapon.

 

The six in custody are Pornthep, Preecha, snooker parlour owner Pramook Chansenanont, 34, Somchai Sae-pang, 35, Piromwet Apinorachat, 32, and Thatchakorn Pornpakdee, 47. 

 

A police source said that Pramook, Somchai, Piromwet, and Thatchakorn – all of whom had surrendered to police on Tuesday |night – only admitted to being at the scene at the time but denied any involvement in the shootout. 

 

The five suspects currently being sought are Kwan, Pornthep’s father Bumpen Pumpuang, 44, Kasem Runpairat, 38, Sornram Phupolpan, 25, and Nui Krataithong, 32.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30356202

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-10-11

Turf Wars??  what are they trying to control ? Drugs or Market stalls??...seems a bit extreme for space to sell fried chicken and knock off t-shirts...

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Nakarin said Preecha’s testimony had suggested the incident did not involve any “influential groups people's sons”.

 

They are all guilty. Why the hell are they carrying concealed weapons on them in the first place. Oh, so that one guy, turned himself in to express his innocence. What a crock. If that had been a family member of mine that was killed by these baboons there would be hell to pay back.

well if they got any decent forensics,(but after recent cases i doubt it)?? as he handed in two guns it should be easy to see if one of these weapons was the one that fired the fatal shot, not holding my breath though

 

5 hours ago, webfact said:

and handed over two .38 pistols in order to express his innocence

and here I thought the usual method of expressing one's innocence is having an alibi..., but then again Thailand is different.

I don't care what the EU says. Execute them all for being so stupid to fight over turf. Or at least put them all in a cage armed with knives. Two teams enter and only one team leaves. And they then the winning team serve a life sentence.

Sounds more like a turd war. Don't be surprised if they are all connected to bigger turds in uniform.

May one hope the arms used were not legally owned?

If illegally owned, where did they get them?

Who sold them?

Look very deep, police.

What is a low pressure bullet?

Wait.....I get it, a bullet not meant to kill or maim, but something like a rubber bullet, so the shooter did not shoot to kill but only to warn.

OK, now I understand.