Summary of a hot-tempered shooter who, angered by being cut off while driving, shot and killed a man on the expressway. Methamphetamine was found in the suspect's system. The suspect was arrested before fleeing to cover up the crime.
A shocking incident occurred on a major road in Bangkok in the early morning of 23 Dec 2025 GMT+7 at around 04:50, when police received a report of a shooting resulting in a death inside a vehicle near the Si Rat Expressway toll plaza at Prachachuen inbound. This caused alarm among motorists traveling at that time.
At the scene, officers found a car parked unusually. Inside was the body of Mr. Anuwat Yatniyom, 34, deceased in the driver's seat from a gunshot wound to the neck. Also present was Ms. Sawitree, the victim’s girlfriend, who had been riding with him and was visibly shaken, crying and distressed.
The victim's girlfriend told police that before the incident, they had left their accommodation in Pak Kret district, Nonthaburi Province, heading to a home near Phetkasem Road with no indication of trouble. Upon reaching the Prachachuen toll gate, a white Toyota Vellfire van suddenly moved into the left lane trying to enter the payment lane abruptly.
She advised her boyfriend to slow down and let the van pass to avoid conflict, but after clearing the toll gate, the unexpected happened. The same Vellfire van pulled alongside on the right, rolled down the window, and multiple gunshots were fired. The van then sped away toward the Mo Chit area, leaving irreversible loss behind.
One day after the incident, police gathered evidence and obtained an arrest warrant for Mr. Songkran Panphu, also known as “Kan Tattoo” or “Kan Vellfire,” a young businessman with a prominent social media image and the nickname “Billionaire Youth.” He faces multiple serious charges including intentional homicide, attempted murder, illegal possession and carrying of firearms, and unlawful use of firearms in public.
Reviewing CCTV footage, police confirmed the two parties had a driving dispute involving cutting off. Footage near the toll gate showed the suspect’s white Toyota Vellfire aggressively cutting off the victim’s car about 500 meters before the toll plaza. At the toll, each vehicle entered separate lanes to pay, but after paying, the suspect slowed to wait for the victim’s car.
The suspect then pulled alongside and fired a 9mm handgun three times—once to the neck and twice to the arm—before fleeing. The victim’s car lost control; the girlfriend tried to steer it before it crashed into the roadside barrier heading south on Phutthamonthon Sai 7 Road. The suspect removed the license plate and abandoned the van at a hotel in Nakhon Pathom, then took a taxi to Pathum Thani. Police seized the van at Prachachuen police station for forensic examination. It had a fake license plate to evade capture and contained a replica gun. Both the suspect and victim were involved.
On the evening of 24 Dec 2025 GMT+7, Pol. Lt. Gen. Nopphasin Poolsawas, Commander assigned to the Royal Thai Police Office, along with Pol. Maj. Gen. Chotiwat Luangwilai, Commander of the Metropolitan Police Bureau’s Investigation Division, and Pol. Col. Athadee Sermsuk, Chief of Investigation Unit 2, coordinated with the Trat Provincial Police Special Task Force and Koh Chang Police to arrest Mr. Songkran Panphu at a room on Koh Chang Island. He was attempting to flee the country by boat. The suspect had reserved two rooms separately from an accomplice before officers apprehended him without resistance.
Pol. Lt. Gen. Siam Boonsom, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, said after the arrest that preliminary interrogation revealed the suspect admitted to the shooting. He claimed the cause was a dispute over being cut off while driving. Before the incident, he had socialized with friends at a nightclub in Bang Yai, Nonthaburi Province. After drinking, he drove friends home then headed back to Chonburi Province. At the toll plaza entrance, he cut off the victim’s car, triggering the confrontation.
After paying tolls, the victim rolled down his window and stopped on the roadside. The suspect pulled up beside him and a verbal argument ensued before the suspect fired three shots. The suspect claimed he did not intend to kill but only to intimidate. However, police believe the shooting was deliberate and intended to cause death, based on the proximity during parking and the shooting itself.
Medical examination of the suspect revealed alcohol and methamphetamine in his system. Investigators gathered CCTV evidence showing the suspect acted alone with no other persons in the vehicle. The suspect fired the gun right-handed while steering with the left hand.
After the shooting, the suspect fled along Phahonyothin Expressway toward Nakhon Pathom Province, stopping to switch license plates. The suspect claimed this was to evade finance company debt collectors, but police note he frequently changes plates. He also has an outstanding warrant for attempted murder from 2024, which authorities are investigating for links to other crimes.
The firearm used was registered to a person who died about four years ago, a civilian. Investigations found the suspect was skilled with firearms, having previously practiced shooting at a range in Chonburi Province.
After the crime, the suspect tried to escape to Koh Chang Island in Trat Province, where he planned to meet his wife and child and flee abroad. He hid the spent cartridges on his person and tried to dispose of the gun and ammo boxes at various locations to cover his tracks, but police successfully tracked him down.