Drug suspect killed in shootout: police

Police shot dead drug suspect Nattapong Srisasywan, 31, yesterday in what they said was a gunfight at the mouth of Soi Watcharapol in Bangkok’s Bang Khen and seized 140,000 yaba tablets and 3 kilograms of crystal meth. Police Sergeant Kreunarong Manpolsri was shot in the leg during the incident, they said.
The body of Nattapong was found in the driver’s seat of a bullet-ridden Toyota Camri sedan. Police claimed he had a .11 pistol in his lap with two spent .11 bullet casings nearby. The gunfight reportedly erupted when police attempted to arrest drug gang members they had been following for months. Yesterday, the gang was seen travelling in three cars on Watcharapol Road. While two cars fled, the third was stopped and Nattapong reportedly fired at police, injuring Kreunarong and triggering the fatal shootout.