Bizarre stunt pulled in the middle of rush hour

[Tomtomtom69]

Hi all,

Yesterday I caught something on my dashcam that I never expected to ever witness personally. Sure, I've watched my fair share of hollywood movies, Thai action blockbusters and of course, just simply Thai news, but never did I expect to see what I witnessed yesterday in real life.

It shook me to the core. Never have I been scared before in Bangkok or anywhere in Thailand for that matter.

So here's what happened: As I was driving along Sunwinthawong road (route 304) towards Minburi (Raminthra Road) I suddenly spotted numerous men wearing the same colored black shirts. They were scattered on both sides of the road, both inbound and outbound. At first I thought funeral maybe? But how can that be, Buddhist funerals don't take place at 6.30pm and neither would there be so many people scattered all over the place. Plus there was no body. Then I thought, Islamic funeral maybe? Since there are 3 mosques on that road within close proximity to each other. While I have no idea what they look like, again, I thought this was unlikely since surely there would be some women too.

Then it became clear - as I was driving along, young men were chasing each other coming out of the soi where a technical school is located. Suddenly a lot of motorcycles appeared, and then one of them suddenly came up in front of me and pulled out a gun, pointing seemingly in my direction but actually it was aimed at a rival either in the lane next to me or possibly across the road as I noticed a motorcycle speeding along on the opposite side of the road at high speed.

All of this happened during rush hour, although most traffic at this time of day tends to travel in the other direction.

Video footage is attached here. Notice the pillion rider pulling out his gun starting at 0.37. Sorry for the poor quality - video comes from a cheap Chinese dashcam.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?​v=pLTSm8SlExw

[Lannig]

"This video is private"

[KhunBENQ]

Your video is classified "private" and can't be watched.

Change the settings.

[Tomtomtom69]

Done.

[KhunBENQ]

Is it becoming a local habit?

Your video is not the first that I see with such frightening behavior.

Rotten to the core they are.

Or do I watch too many traffic/crime videos ?

Edited June 14, 2016 by KhunBENQ

[Lannig]

Wrong time, wrong place I guess. Guns are being pulled out daily in many places in Thailand. Be happy you haven't been a collateral damage this time

Technical schools are places to absolutely avoid. I used to live close to one, it was already bad and that was many years ago, I've heard that it's much worse now.

Edited June 14, 2016 by Lannig

[Tomtomtom69]

Is it becoming a local habit?

Your video is not the first that I see with such frightening behavior.

Rotten to the core they are.

Or do I watch too many traffic/crime videos ?

Yes, that is what I fear. However, I drive along this road often and have done so for many years - it's a major highway connecting Bangkok (Laksi) via Raminthra and Suwinthawong roads to Chachoengsao and eventually to Nakorn Ratchasima via Khao Yai national park, but have never seen anything untoward until now.

Strangely, I only found out about the technical school recently having driven past it once as a short cut to get to the airport. The Minburi technical school is more notorious in terms of violence, but in recent times things have been quiet there. This school is kinda in the middle of nowhere, so it's easier for gang members to escape should they do something like kill or maim a rival. This is of course aided by the now 6-lane highway, though there are still parts under construction.

I too have watched many traffic and crime videos, never thought I'd be filming one myself though! The video doesn't show half of what unfolded, due to the fact the sun is about to set and the poor video quality.

I noticed probably around 2 dozen students chasing each other along the road shoulder and on the opposite side of the road there were scattered bunches of these guys standing around. Later on, after the video ends, I see the motorcyclist who pulled out a gun and 2 others in the right lane near the foot of an overpass slow down, forcing a number of cars to break suddenly. In most normal circumstances these drivers would have simply mowed down the motorcycles but in this case they could sense there was something going on, hence they carefully changed lanes instead.

I have never previously seen anything like it in person before.

Edited June 14, 2016 by Tomtomtom69

[gtm2k]

"escape should they do something like kill or maim a rival."

The reasons of rivalry of these young teens, is nothing but utter BS. Almost none or very little logic, based entirely on impulse to preserve face, loyalty to the older "Phi" and maintain peer order / culture. This is the rock bottom end of the thai education system.

Edited June 14, 2016 by gtm2k

[Minnehaha]

Wrong time, wrong place I guess. Guns are being pulled out daily in many places in Thailand. Be happy you haven't been a collateral damage this time

Technical schools are places to absolutely avoid. I used to live close to one, it was already bad and that was many years ago, I've heard that it's much worse now.

true dat.

on the other hand, I lived down the street from an accounting school (technical college) where the students were 95% female. that was quite interesting and occasionally dangerous as well

[KIWIBATCH]

I teach part time at a tech school in the evenings.

I have lost count of the number of times lessons have been suddenly curtailed due to "information" received by sources and passed to the management of the school that there is likely to be trouble as the students leave at 8.30pm (the official close of the lessons)

On one evening 5 months ago it all went wrong....as the students were leaving at 8.30pm en masse - on foot...motorcycle etc...gunfire erupted right outside the Tech school and an innocent young lass was shot dead while waiting for a bus.

The offenders were from another Tech school looking to settle some BS score.

Both the previous Govt and the current folk in charge of the country have repeatedly said that they will close those Tech schools down where violence occurs....yet nothing has been done.

The most sickening part of the young lass being shot dead was that the students were showing photographs of her dead bloodied body to each other prior to the class lesson commencing a few days later.

There were no long faces...quiet voices from the students during this sharing of photographs...quite the opposite in fact.

I genuinely felt sick watching and listening to the students doing this.

[ozyjon]

Ram booooooos da lot of ya.

[TommyTucker]

Why are you "hogging" the middle lane?

[gemguy]

Ram booooooos da lot of ya.

What is needed is for the real Rambo to come around and give the lot of them an attitude adjustment....rat ta tat tat ...with a .50 caliber mounted on a Tuk Tuk...for better effect...lol

Cheers

[rixalex]

Why are you "hogging" the middle lane?

Inside lane looks quite busy with motorcyclists riding the wrong way.

"Hogging" the middle lane might not be good driving manners to a strict highway code follower, but in Thailand, on certain stretches of road, it is what many end up doing simply because it is the safest thing to do, offering the highest chance of getting from A to B without incident.

[tandor]

..just indicating he was changing lanes.

Edited June 15, 2016 by tandor

[Scouse Twoccer]

The truth is that your video shows far less drama than you describe. One motorcycle on which the pillion rider appears to take aim at something with what appears to be a gun that does not appear to have been fired.

[Tomtomtom69]

Why are you "hogging" the middle lane?

I'm not hogging the middle lane. That's the way I normally drive. Middle or fast lane (if going fast enough to overtake slower moving traffic). On 4-lane country highways I will move over to the left lane after overtaking but this is an urban road. Given there are 6 lanes, the middle lane is the normal lane to be driving in. Also, while the video doesn't show it very well, there were a ton of motorcycles going the opposite direction some into the left lane. There's always a few motorcycles coming up the opposite direction but normally never this many. Obviously it had something to do with these technical school kids as everyone was wearing the same colored shirt.

[Tomtomtom69]

The truth is that your video shows far less drama than you describe. One motorcycle on which the pillion rider appears to take aim at something with what appears to be a gun that does not appear to have been fired.

Of course the gun wasn't fired. If it was maybe I wouldn't be here to talk about it. Even so, a pillion rider pulling out a gun while riding along a busy road is not an everyday occurrence.

I can only hope you aren't used to more scary situations but most of us prefer to live in safety, without people having guns pulled out in public places just to settle a score. In my opinion the pillion rider used his gun to scare his rival. That should NOT have taken place in a public place with dozens of innocent motorists around. Even in Thailand, it is not common for such incidents to occur on public roads. More commonly, karaoke parlours, private residences and other places out of the public eye.

[tandor]

The truth is that your video shows far less drama than you describe. One motorcycle on which the pillion rider appears to take aim at something with what appears to be a gun that does not appear to have been fired.

Of course the gun wasn't fired. If it was maybe I wouldn't be here to talk about it. Even so, a pillion rider pulling out a gun while riding along a busy road is not an everyday occurrence.

I can only hope you aren't used to more scary situations but most of us prefer to live in safety, without people having guns pulled out in public places just to settle a score. In my opinion the pillion rider used his gun to scare his rival. That should NOT have taken place in a public place with dozens of innocent motorists around. Even in Thailand, it is not common for such incidents to occur on public roads. More commonly, karaoke parlours, private residences and other places out of the public eye.

..I think not gangs or of bad intent ...just gung-ho young guys..may have been a replica..looked to be pointing ahead ..not at you or any other vehicle...too dark..to quick...I don't for one minute think it was about you in particular or your driving prior to the incident. Sure was a bizarre incident. I've seen it here in Chiang Mai on three occasions..one bike chasing another...right in front of me..no cam to back up my statement..sorry...keep safe.

Edited June 15, 2016 by tandor

[Erik BKK]

Your camera is substandard and doesn't allow identification of the license plate.

[Lannig]

Your camera is substandard and doesn't allow identification of the license plate.

I think that OP is well aware of this and that was not his purpose of posting this video anyway.

Any other useful comment?

[Tomtomtom69]

The truth is that your video shows far less drama than you describe. One motorcycle on which the pillion rider appears to take aim at something with what appears to be a gun that does not appear to have been fired.

Of course the gun wasn't fired. If it was maybe I wouldn't be here to talk about it. Even so, a pillion rider pulling out a gun while riding along a busy road is not an everyday occurrence.

I can only hope you aren't used to more scary situations but most of us prefer to live in safety, without people having guns pulled out in public places just to settle a score. In my opinion the pillion rider used his gun to scare his rival. That should NOT have taken place in a public place with dozens of innocent motorists around. Even in Thailand, it is not common for such incidents to occur on public roads. More commonly, karaoke parlours, private residences and other places out of the public eye.

..I think not gangs or of bad intent ...just gung-ho young guys..may have been a replica..looked to be pointing ahead ..not at you or any other vehicle...too dark..to quick...I don't for one minute think it was about you in particular or your driving prior to the incident. Sure was a bizarre incident. I've seen it here in Chiang Mai on three occasions..one bike chasing another...right in front of me..no cam to back up my statement..sorry...keep safe.

Sure. I agree it wasn't pointed at me or even necessarily at the vehicle coming up in the right lane beside me (not visible in the video). Could have been aimed at the motorcycle driving dangerously fast against the flow of traffic on the other side of the road.

Gun could have been a replica, no doubt about that. However, the very fact any sort of gun or gun-look alike toy was being waved about in public is cause for concern. Imagine any sort of gun (even if not real) were pulled out inside an airport.

[tandor]

The truth is that your video shows far less drama than you describe. One motorcycle on which the pillion rider appears to take aim at something with what appears to be a gun that does not appear to have been fired.

Of course the gun wasn't fired. If it was maybe I wouldn't be here to talk about it. Even so, a pillion rider pulling out a gun while riding along a busy road is not an everyday occurrence.

I can only hope you aren't used to more scary situations but most of us prefer to live in safety, without people having guns pulled out in public places just to settle a score. In my opinion the pillion rider used his gun to scare his rival. That should NOT have taken place in a public place with dozens of innocent motorists around. Even in Thailand, it is not common for such incidents to occur on public roads. More commonly, karaoke parlours, private residences and other places out of the public eye.

..I think not gangs or of bad intent ...just gung-ho young guys..may have been a replica..looked to be pointing ahead ..not at you or any other vehicle...too dark..to quick...I don't for one minute think it was about you in particular or your driving prior to the incident. Sure was a bizarre incident. I've seen it here in Chiang Mai on three occasions..one bike chasing another...right in front of me..no cam to back up my statement..sorry...keep safe.

Sure. I agree it wasn't pointed at me or even necessarily at the vehicle coming up in the right lane beside me (not visible in the video). Could have been aimed at the motorcycle driving dangerously fast against the flow of traffic on the other side of the road.

Gun could have been a replica, no doubt about that. However, the very fact any sort of gun or gun-look alike toy was being waved about in public is cause for concern. Imagine any sort of gun (even if not real) were pulled out inside an airport.

..the point I was making was 'maybe' it was a replica..this would take away the seriousness of the act played out in front of you..obviously meant to scare people, but with no intent on their part.

Of course once apprehended and the weapon seized (whatever it turned out to be..replica, water pistol, stick. even a finger under a cloth, whatever)..it is still considered a real firearm in the eyes of the complainant and witnesses...hence my labelling of the pillion passenger being 'gung-ho'.

Still alarming and intolerable.