CHIANG RAI – Police are hunting a gunman who ambushed a pickup truck used for buying scrap, firing more than 10 shots and riddling the vehicle with bullet holes. The driver was hit only in the hand and managed to grit his teeth, drive away, and reach the hospital by himself.
On Thursday, officers from Wiang Kaen Police Station in Chiang Rai, along with other agencies, went out to investigate and track down whoever opened fire on the scrap dealer.
Police had been alerted that a gunman had ambushed a pickup while it was driving along a mountain road between Huai Khu village and Huai Han village, in Por subdistrict, Wiang Kaen district.
When officers arrived, they found a two-lane road passing through forested hills, but there was no sign of the shooter or the vehicle. They later learned that the pickup driver had sped away from the scene and driven straight to Wiang Kaen Hospital, so officers followed to check on him there.
At the hospital, police found the injured driver, Mr Wajoe, 56, a resident of Por subdistrict, Wiang Kaen district. He had been shot in the hand and grazed across the back, and doctors had already referred him to Chiang Rai Prachanukroh Hospital in Mueang Chiang Rai for further treatment.
From his initial statement, Mr Wajoe said that he was out in his pickup as usual, driving around to buy scrap. While he was on his way to Huai Han village, someone opened fire on the truck with a gun from an unknown direction.
He heard more than 10 shots. Bullets struck several parts of the vehicle but missed his vital organs and hit only his hand and grazed his back. He then accelerated, escaped the area, and drove, despite the pain, until he reached Wiang Kaen Hospital.
Police inspected the pickup parked at the hospital. The truck had a steel frame in the bed stacked with scrap items. Officers checked the bullet damage to the vehicle and the wounds on the driver, then collected all possible evidence.
They are now working to find the motive for the ambush and to track down the gunman so they can bring the suspect to justice.
