Chaos erupted during the Songkran festivities as a teenager brandishing airsoft guns incited fear and panic in Soi 7, Central Pattaya, sending shockwaves through the crowd of over a thousand tourists on April 15.
Pattaya police swiftly apprehended the 17 year old juvenile responsible for the terrorizing act, taking him to the police station for questioning. Police Lieutenant Colonel Thananon Athipansi, Deputy Superintendent of Pattaya police, explained that the confrontation ensued when the juvenile and his friends encountered another group participating in the water-splashing festivities.
“Verbal exchanges escalated into physical violence, with the opposing group assaulting the juvenile’s younger sibling and provoking them.”
In retaliation, the juvenile retrieved the airsoft guns, wielding them menacingly to intimidate the other group before both parties dispersed. Further investigations uncovered a history of disputes between the two groups, with previous clashes, including physical assaults and the use of airsoft guns, reported at Bali Hai Pier, reported Pattaya Mail.
Months earlier, they were involved in a shooting incident at the beachfront near Mae Sriruen restaurant in Pattaya, resulting in injuries.
In related news, a joyous Songkran celebration took a tragic turn in Sattahip, Chon Buri when four young individuals were caught in a hail of gunfire on April 16. The incident has left one person dead and has the police on a manhunt for the suspected gunman.
The incident took place during the Songkran festivities taking place on Soi Bon Kai in Sattahip district. Sattahip police were notified about the incident and arrived on the scene to find three young men and a 13 year old girl with gunshot wounds to their torsos.
In other news, the lively Thaweewong Road, on Patong Beach in Phuket, bore witness to a heated dispute between two foreign visitors at a Songkran event. This incident, occurring around 4.20pm on April 13, was sparked by a minor altercation involving a water gun.
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