Two leaders of a youth motorcyle gang involved in violently harassing and then shooting dead a woman noodle vendor, the mother of two teen sons, in Nakhon Pathom have been arrested, police said.
Two leaders of a youth gang accused of the the bombing and shooting of anoddle vendor in Nakhon Pathom on Jan 24 are paraded at police press conference on Thursday. The duo -Yutthana Somboon, 24, (left) and Thanawat Kaew-ngarm, 21 - were apprehended in Kanchanaburi on Wednesday. (Photo by Wichan Charoenkiartpakun)
National police chief Somyot Pumpanmuang on Thursday announced the arrest of the two suspects in the murder of Kornnat Purensopa at her noodle shop in Nakhon Chaisi area.
Yutthana Somboon, 24, and Thanawat Kaew-ngam, 21, were arrested in Tha Muang district of Kanchanaburi on Wednesday night. Police also seized a CZ pistol.
The two suspects and 17 other gang members also apprehended by police were shown at a police press conference in Bangkok.
Police charged that Yutthana and Thanawat were responsible for the fatal shooting of Kornnat, and for the series of ping pong bomb attacks on her food shop earlier that evening by members of their gang.
Mrs Kornnat, 39, was shot in the head at her duck noodle shop in tambon Bang Krabo in Nakhon Chaisi district on the night of Jan 24. The mother of two sons died in hospital.
A police investigation found that the suspects were members of the ‘’Bang Or’’ gang and that its members had thrown six ping pong bombs into the shop after a quarrel with the shop owner's sons.
The attack prompted her sons to return fire. During the exchange of gunfire on Jan 24, the woman hid behind a power pole and later ran to her house. She was shot as she was about to close the door of her house.
Police records showed that Thanawat, the alleged gunman, was involved in 10 other criminal cases, including illicit drugs and theft. The suspect was released from prison on the afternoon of Jan 24, the day he allegedly fired the fatal shots at the noodle shop, said police.
During the interrogation, Yutthana admitted his gang members had created chaos in the area, throwing ping pong bombs at the shop. He and Thanawat went to the shop to clear up a problem, but five shots were fired from the shop, Yutthana claimed. He then returned fire.
He insisted his group had no intention to shoot Mrs Kornat. He said the woman had not given him a wai and asked for her sons' lives as reported.
However earlier reports quoted the victim's 18-year-old son as saying that the gang members had a personal conflict with him and his brother.
The gang members hurled three ping pong bombs at the shop on the night of Jan 24 and the explosions panicked the customers. About 30 minutes later they returned and threw three more ping pong bombs at the roadside shop. About 9pm athey came back again and threw one more ping pong bomb at the shop
They returned again about 9.30pm and stopped in front of the shop. One of the gang members pulled out a pistol and pointed it at him, threatening him, the 18-year-old said.
At this point, his mother went out and asked them to leave and spare her sons' lives. The gunman fired one shot at the two brothers, but missed them. He then turned the gun on Mrs Kornnat and fired two shots, hitting her once in the head.