"Big Yam," the Metropolitan Police Chief, joined a meeting on the case where an Alphard driver shot and killed a man driving a sedan on the expressway. He confirmed the suspect is an ordinary person, not a politician or a public figure. The suspect fled via Phutthamonthon Sai 7 Road heading south. Prior to the incident, the vehicles had been involved in aggressive driving.
At 04:50 on 23 Dec, Police Lieutenant Colonel Nopadol Homsombat, Deputy Investigation Officer at Prachachuen Police Station, received a report of a man shot dead inside a car behind the Sri Rat Expressway tollgate at Prachachuen toll plaza, inbound side, Wong Sawang Subdistrict, Bang Sue District, Bangkok. He went to the scene with Police Lieutenant General Siam Boonsom, Metropolitan Police Chief; Police Major General Kiattikul Sonthien, Commander of Police Division 2; Police Colonel Sakdidej Kamphananwong, Superintendent of Prachachuen Police Station; patrol and investigation units; forensic officers; forensic doctors from Police General Hospital; and volunteers from Poh Teck Tung Foundation.
The scene was about 500 meters from the toll plaza at the foot of the Prachachuen road overpass. A white Toyota Altis sedan, license plate Kor Chor 9303 Sa Kaeo, was stopped in the middle of the road with the driver's side door window open. On the driver's seat lay the body of Anuwat Yataniyom, 34, with a gunshot wound piercing his neck. Blood was splattered throughout the car. Nearby stood Sawitree, 28, the victim's girlfriend, crying uncontrollably with her body stained in blood.
Sawitree said that her boyfriend worked as a Bolt driver. Before the incident, he had picked her up from their apartment in Pak Kret District, Nonthaburi Province, to go to their home in the Phetkasem area. At the Prachachuen toll plaza, a white Toyota Alphard van approached on the left and suddenly tried to change lanes into the toll lane. She told her boyfriend to slow down and let the van pass first. After passing the toll, she saw the Alphard van slow down while her boyfriend was driving onto the overpass. Suddenly, the Alphard came alongside on the right, rolled down its left window, and fired 3-4 shots at her boyfriend. The suspect then fled heading toward Mo Chit.
CCTV footage at the toll plaza showed that the vehicle involved was a white Toyota Vellfire van, license plate 2 Kor Por 77798 Bangkok, owned by a rental company. The latest renter was Thritsanu Sanghiran, 48, from Hat Yai District, Songkhla Province, who had been in Bangkok for several days on business. Authorities are urgently tracking him down to proceed with legal action.
At 09:00 at Prachachuen Police Station, Police Lieutenant General Siam Boonsom, Metropolitan Police Chief; Police Major General Pallop Aemla, Deputy Metropolitan Police Chief; Police Major General Kiattikul Sonthien, Commander of Police Division 2; Police Colonel Nimit Nuponthong, Deputy Commander of Police Division 2; Police Colonel Sakdidej Kamphananwong, Superintendent of Prachachuen Police Station; along with investigation and police staff, held a meeting to follow up on the case for over an hour.
Police Lieutenant General Siam Boonsom revealed that the suspect's vehicle and the victim's vehicle had engaged in aggressive driving approximately 500 meters before the toll plaza. At the toll plaza, each entered separate lanes, but after paying, the suspect's vehicle slowed to wait for the victim's vehicle to pay. Then it drove alongside and fired a 9mm handgun, shooting three times: one to the neck and two to the arms, before fleeing. The victim's car lost control, and the victim's girlfriend steered the car until it crashed into the roadside. Police have collected evidence and assigned investigation units from the Metropolitan Police, Division 2, and Prachachuen Police Station to track the suspect's vehicle, which fled via Phutthamonthon Sai 7 Road heading south.
Lieutenant General Siam added that it is not yet confirmed how many people were in the suspect's vehicle; investigators are reviewing CCTV footage. The shooting does not appear professional; it was a pressing type of shooting since the suspect's vehicle was higher and had just passed the toll plaza at low speed. The victim's girlfriend claimed she had argued with the victim and fled to a friend's house in Pak Kret, while the victim was driving from Phetkasem to pick her up when the incident occurred. Investigations are ongoing to determine if the suspect is the same person who rented the vehicle. He confirmed the suspect is an ordinary person, not a politician or a public figure.
It is believed the incident was spontaneous, but police have not ruled out any possibilities. They will investigate all evidence and witnesses, as well as the backgrounds of both the victim and the suspect.