A man in Thailand was fatally shot in a drive-by attack while driving his girlfriend home on a Bangkok expressway in the early hours of Tuesday (23 Dec).
According to Khaosod, the shooting took place shortly after the couple passed through a toll plaza, with the gunman fleeing the scene immediately after opening fire.
Police said they received a report at around 4.50am of a shooting inside a moving vehicle on the Si Rat Expressway, just past the Pracha Chuen inbound toll plaza in Bang Sue.
Officers arrived to find a Toyota Altis stopped in the middle of the road.
The driver, a 34-year-old man identified as Mr Anuwat (name transliterated from Thai), was slumped in the driver’s seat with a gunshot wound to the neck.
Source: Khaosod
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Forensic officers secured the area to collect evidence, while rescue personnel assisted with the response.
Mr Anuwat’s 28-year-old girlfriend told police that he had picked her up earlier and was driving her home via the expressway.
She said they encountered a white Toyota Vellfire at the Pracha Chuen toll plaza, where the multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) attempted to merge abruptly into a toll lane.
Source: Daily News
Concerned about a confrontation, she advised her boyfriend to slow down and let the vehicle pass.
After clearing the toll, she noticed the MPV was travelling unusually slowly.
As their car went up a bridge, the MPV pulled alongside them on the right. She then saw a window roll down and heard three to four gunshots.
Her boyfriend was struck before the MPV sped off.
Source: Khaosod
Police reviewed CCTV footage and identified a white Toyota Vellfire with a Bangkok licence plate as the suspected getaway vehicle.
Later that evening, officers located the MPV abandoned at a hotel in Nakhon Prathom province, reports Matichon.
The suspect had vanished.
Source: Khaosod
An inspection revealed that counterfeit licence plates had been fitted to both the front and rear of the vehicle, believed to be an attempt to evade identification. A fake firearm was also found inside.
The suspect was identified as Songkran (name transliterated from Thai), who was already wanted under a 2024 arrest warrant for attempted murder in Chonburi province.
Police believe the killing may have been triggered by a road rage incident near the toll plaza, although investigations are ongoing and the exact relationship between the suspect and the victim remains unclear.
A witness, who is reportedly a friend of the suspect, said they had been hanging out together in Nonthaburi earlier, and that the shooting occurred after Songkran had dropped off his companions.
Authorities are now gathering evidence to obtain a court-issued arrest warrant for intentional murder.
Police have also coordinated with the Immigration Bureau to prevent the suspect from fleeing the country.
Also read: 17-year-old girl shot in the face after allegedly ‘staring’ at gunman in Thailand
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Featured image adapted from Daily News and Khaosod.