A hotel guest fired a gun at a Rayong resort owner and police after being denied a free stay.

Police were called to the resort in Klaeng district at 3am on Saturday. A team of officers arrived and found resort owner Thanapisit Thanaratpiwat, 42, in a state of panic.

Mr Thanapisit said that a male guest had approached him to rent a room. When asked for payment, the man said he did not have any money and after being denied the room, pulled a gun and began threatening Mr Thanapisit, firing at him.

After the owner told the police that the shooter was hiding in room No. 10, the officers entered the room and found a man lying on the bed. Authorities tried to make him surrender but he spoke incoherently and began waving a .38 pistol.

A member of the team unsuccessfully tried to incapacitate the man by shooting him in the back with an taser, but he was able to fire back towards the officers as he fled.

The shooter eventually shot and injured a police officer before he was shot in the leg and taken into custody.

He was found with 200 methamphetamine tablets and the pistol.