Crime Drug-Fuelled Driver Rams Police Checkpoint in Nakhon Si Thammarat

[Georgealbert]

 

Picture courtesy of Matichon.

 

A 35-year-old man high on methamphetamine led police on a dramatic 20-kilometre car chase through the city of Nakhon Si Thammarat after crashing through a police checkpoint and attempting to run down officers.

 

Police identified the suspect as Mr Supachai who was apprehended as part of “Operation Fast74”, a coordinated effort between the Highway Police, Nakhon Si Thammarat Provincial Police and Tourist Police.

 

According to authorities, the incident began when Mr Supachai, driving a heavily modified white-and-black Isuzu D-Max pickup truck, accelerated through a crime suppression checkpoint set up on Highway 4103 (outbound) in Pak Phun subdistrict. Officers were forced to leap out of the way as the suspect ploughed through traffic cones and government property, including warning batons and flashlights, debris from which struck nearby personnel.

 

The suspect then sped toward Tha Sala district, making a series of evasive turns through Bang Poo and Baan Klang intersections before heading back towards Nakhon Si Thammarat Airport, the location of another checkpoint.

 

Officers had deployed a “Stop Stick” tyre-deflation device at the checkpoint, which the driver ran over in another apparent attempt to ram law enforcement. Despite punctured tyres, Mr Supachai continued to flee until his vehicle became immobile near the airport, where officers surrounded and arrested him.

 

A search of the vehicle uncovered a 9mm handgun, nine rounds of ammunition, a black leather holster and a camouflage backpack in the backseat. The gun was loaded and fully operational.

 

Investigators later found that the vehicle’s chassis number did not match its licence plates, which were confirmed to be counterfeit. The tax disc on display was also forged.

 

During questioning, Mr Supachai confessed to having recently used methamphetamine and admitted that both the vehicle and firearm had been acquired through illicit means. He claimed to have purchased the pickup for 200,000 baht in 2024 from a woman known only as “May” in Thung Song district, while the firearm had been bought for 25,000 baht from a man named “Den” in Chang Klang district.

 

A background check revealed that Mr Supachai is a repeat offender with seven previous criminal cases involving drugs, firearms, and violence.

 

Police have filed multiple charges including:

 

• Possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition

• Carrying a weapon in public without permission

• Attempted murder of a law enforcement officer

• Dangerous driving causing damage to public property

• Resisting and assaulting a police officer

• Driving under the influence of methamphetamine

• Forgery and use of counterfeit official documents

 

Mr Supachai has been remanded in custody and transferred to Mueang Nakhon Si Thammarat Police Station for formal legal proceedings.

 

  Adapted by Asean Now from Matichon 2025-06-17

 

 

 

[Gottfrid]

 

[MalcolmB]

The breed them tough in NST