Police sergeant suspended after firing gun in Bangkok’s Soi Thong Lor
Chief of local crime suppression unit in hot water after witnesses report he threatened another man during drunken argument
A policeman from Thong Lor police station has been suspended from duty after a video clip posted on social media showed him firing a gun in the air at a Bangkok car park in Soi Thong Lor 10, Watthana district.
An investigation revealed the incident took place at around 3am on Sunday (December 15), Pol Col Pansa Amarapitak, chief of Thong Lor police station said.
Pansa on Monday signed an order to suspend the shooter, Police Sergeant Major Montri (last name withheld) from duty, pending investigation by a disciplinary committee.
He said Montri was arrested shortly after the incident with a SIG Sauer P320 handgun, thirteen 9mm bullets, and one used bullet casing. He was reportedly inebriated.
Witnesses said Montri had been arguing with a man when he pulled out a gun, fired one bullet in the air, and proceeded to point the weapon at the man. No injuries were reported from the incident.
Montri, the commander of the crime suppression unit at Thong Lor station, was charged with possessing a firearm without a permit, and carrying and discharging a firearm in an urban area without proper cause.
Pansa said the disciplinary committee would consider imposing the strongest punishment on Montri to set an example for other police officers.
