All for love, downtown Hat Yai turns into OK Corral
Bullets were flying in downtown Hat Yai early Monday morning after an apparent quarrel over a woman resulted in one criminal gang making good on its Facebook Live promise to take revenge on another.
Police said the brief gunfight in front of a hotel stemmed from a dispute between “Aun Siangteung’s gang” and “Sak Phasuk’s gang”, one of which had declared war on the other on a Facebook Live broadcast.
Cars carrying members of the rival gangs met up on Jootee Anusorn Road in front of the Hansa JB Hotel at about 12.30am and the shooting started.
Within moments, the cars had sped off in different directions. No one appeared to have been injured, but bystanders had to sprawl on the ground or seek cover.
There were few people outside the hotel – most were still inside its two nightclubs.
A pickup truck and sedan parked at the scene had bullet holes. Another round shattered the window of a convenience store and passed through the shirt of a hotel security guard, who was making a purchase.
Police discovered the Aun Siangteung gang’s abandoned Honda Accord, a front tyre shot out, in the hotel’s second-floor parking lot, and about 20 9mm and 11mm cartridges at the shooting scene.
