Kitinan Pantarak, 40, allegedly shot the British tourist during a road rage attack, then rushed the injured man off to hospital and fled the scene before police arrived
A British tourist was allegedly shot in a road rage attack in Thailand after almost crashing his motorcycle into a cannabis dealer – before being whisked to hospital by his alleged attacker.
The man, from Dundee, was then rushed to hospital by the suspected shooter himself. Kitinan Pantarak, 40, dropped the injured man off then fled the scene before police could arrive in time to catch him. The Brit is said to have been gunned down outside a hotel in Mae Hong Son province on Tuesday night after a row erupted when his motorbike almost hit Pantarak, who was also travelling on a motorbike.
The Thai man is alleged to have then pulled out a gun and shot the Brit, injuring his arm. Officers eventually tracked Pantarak down and arrested him at his home.
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The British tourist is safe and no longer in danger, police have said, but officers are now questioning him for overstaying in the country. Police Colonel Phasawin Kaewtai said the gunman has been remanded in custody.
The officer explained: “We received a report that a British man had been shot with a firearm and was injured. Officers and investigators went to the scene and found that the British man had already been taken to Pai Hospital. He had sustained an injury to his arm. He was staying at a rented room, not as a guest at the Yoma Hotel.”
He added: “From security camera footage, it was clear there was an altercation between the suspect and the tourist.” The suspect told police he met the Brit three weeks ago – and that the tourist owed him £50 that he had borrowed from his cannabis shop.
Kaewtai added: “The suspect said that he had known the British after selling cannabis to him. They had not arranged to meet and nearly collided on their motorcycles.”
The Thai man also claimed he was punched by the Brit before he allegedly fired a gun at him. Security footage, seen by police, showed the victim being taken to Pai Hospital by the gunman. The suspect has been charged with attempted murder.
The officer said: “When I went to visit the foreigner in the hospital, he told me it was an accident. He did not seem to want to pursue the matter, as if he acknowledged his own part in what happened and did not want to escalate it.”
The British man was supposed to have left Thailand on August 22, according to his visa. The shooting occured just four days into his breach, on August 26. The policeman added: “His injuries are not serious. When I visited yesterday, he was walking around with an IV drip, even going outside to smoke a cigarette, showing no signs of remorse or concern.”