Man shot dead after breaking through checkpoint, threatening to shoot at police
A Phuket man, who had broken through a Phuket City police checkpoint, was shot dead after threatening to open fire on police in Cherng Talay very early Tuesday morning.
Cherng Talay police were notified that a pickup truck had broken through the checkpoint at 1.30am.
Emergency responders arrived on Srisoonthorn Road in Cherng Talay to find a pickup with its front end damaged.
Nine bullet holes were also found on the truck.
The body of a man, later identified as 29-year-old Chisanupong Krueajan from Phuket, was found in the driver seat. His body was taken to Thalang Hospital.
Inside the pickup, police found a handgun with six bullets, a handmade handgun with one bullet, and more ammunition.
Just after midnight, Phuket City police had set up a checkpoint on Thapkrasattri Road near Soi Sieang Tai in Rassada.
The pickup truck failed to stop when flagged down by police and raced through the checkpoint.
The truck hit other vehicles and then sped away. Police followed the vehicle in an attempt to stop it.
However, the driver did not stop and eventually crashed into a police pickup in the Cheng Talay area, coming to a halt.
Police asked him to get out of the truck, but the man refused, they said.
Police claim that Chisanupong was going to shoot at them but they opened fire first, killing him.
Police found that Chisanupong had previously committed five criminal acts in Phuket and Trang.
He had also had three arrest warrants issued against him, two of which had expired and the other had been cancelled.
A full investigation into this morning’s events is under way.