5-10-2023 (BANGKOK) In connection with the shooting rampage that took place at the Siam Paragon shopping mall in Bangkok, resulting in the deaths of two individuals and injuring five others, three men have been arrested separately in Yala and Bangkok. They are accused of selling firearms, including a blank gun, and ammunition to a 14-year-old boy who carried out the attack.
The Provincial Police Region 9 investigators apprehended two suspects, Suwananhong Phramkhanajarn (45) and Akkharawit Jaithong (22), at a house in tambon Sateng of Muang district in Yala around 1 am on Thursday. Both individuals had arrest warrants issued by the Bangkok South Criminal Court for colluding in the illegal possession and sale of firearms and ammunition without permission. Authorities seized various items from the house, including 209 rounds of blank gun ammunition, 33 metal parts, two bank accounts, and nine magazines. The suspects are being transported to Bangkok for further questioning.
The third suspect, identified as Piyabut (30), was arrested in Bangkok.
The arrests followed the order of Pol Lt Gen Thiti Saengsawang, the commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, for Yannawa police to gather evidence and seek court approval for warrants against the three individuals involved in the illegal sale of firearms and ammunition. During the investigation, it was discovered that the suspects sold a modified blank gun to the teenage perpetrator responsible for the shooting spree. The shooter had purchased the blank gun online for 16,000 baht.
The incident unfolded during peak hours on Tuesday at the Siam Paragon mall on Rama 1 Road in Pathum Wan district, causing panic among hundreds of shoppers who fled as gunshots echoed through the building. The victims included two women from China and Myanmar.
The teenage suspect was arrested shortly after the shooting spree on Tuesday.
Maj Gen Samran Nuanma revealed that the suspect had modified a gun originally designed for firing blank rounds, enabling it to utilize live ammunition.
The teenager, facing charges of murder and other offenses, has been remanded to a juvenile detention center where he will undergo a psychiatric assessment.
