A PICK-UP truck chased and shot at a Pattaya song taew bus carrying Italian tourists who cried and screamed in fear as the rear tire burst at dawn today (April 8), Sanook.com reported.
Pattaya police rushed to a stretch of Sukhumvit road heading for Sattahip at 5 a.m. this morning after getting a report a pistol had been fired at song taew bus number 7 regularly running from north to central Pattaya.
There they found the small passenger bus with the rear left tire torn after being shot at by a pistol of unknown size, with the owner, Mr Krisana, 28, and his girlfriend consoling 2 Italian tourists who was still in tears and shocked by what happened, but otherwise uninjured.
Krisana told police he was hired by the tourists to take them to Jomtien beach area, and was driving them there on Sukhumvit road, when all of a sudden a black pickup truck drove up and got really close behind his vehicle.
After that the pickup truck zoomed to overtake from the right and he heard an unusual noise as if something had been flung at his song taew bus, so he flung a bottle at the pickup truck, but it didn’t hit it.
The pickup truck then came up on the left side and the culprits within fired 4 to 5 bullets which hit the rear tire. The tourists screamed as they crouched down on the vehicle’s floor.
He accelerated to flee, but with a burst tire, had to park by the roadside. The pickup truck turned to go to Pattaya, and slowed down to look at them as it passed by.
Police said they have gathered evidence at the scene of the crime, and are checking CCTV as they chase the gunmen.
They said this incident harms Pattaya’s tourism image because the gunmen did not care that there were foreigners on the vehicle, and fortunately no one got injured.
CAPTIONS:
Top: The song taew bus driver and his girlfriend with one of the Italian tourists who were caught in the dawn gunfire. Photo: Sanook.com
In-text: Police taking photos of the song taew bus’ tire. Photo: Sanook.com
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