PHUKET: A man who sped through a police checkpoint, crashed into another vehicle and later opened fire on police was shot dead in Thalang district early Tuesday morning, police said.
The man, identified as Chitsanupong Khruechan, 29, of Phuket’s Muang district, refused to stop his pickup truck at a checkpoint on Thep Krasatri Road around 12.30am, according to Pol Maj Gen Theeraphon Thipcharoen, chief of Phuket police.
The driver sped off and then crashed into another vehicle, injuring the occupants, at an intersection near a local electricity office.
Chitsanupong again did not stop, continuing towards Choeng Thalae area.
Police in pursuit radioed Choeng Thalae police to block the road ahead of him. During the chase, police fired shots at the wheels of the fleeing pickup, but it did not stop.
A police vehicle managed to overtake the suspect’s pickup and tried to stop it, but Chitsanupong veered his vehicle into the left side of the police patrol car, tearing open the front passenger door.
The force of the impact caused the fleeing suspect to lose control and his vehicle ran into the low roadside barrier and came to a halt, Pol Maj Gen Theeraphon said.
Police moved in to make the arrest, calling for him to get out of the pickup. Instead, he opened fire on them with a handgun. Police fired two shots in response, hitting him in the head and the right arm. He died on the spot.
His family was called to the scene. A search of the vehicle found a .357 pistol with six rounds, another handgun with one bullet in it, and bullets for other types of guns, the Phuket police chief said.