AYUTTHAYA: All four suspects involved in a shooting attack of a car in Bang Pahan district in which one man was killed and another badly wounded have been caught separately in this central province.
A team of police went to a petrol station in Wang Noi district late Friday night following information that a prime suspect in the attack would come to pick up his girlfriend there.
When a suspected pickup truck arrived at the petrol station at around 10.30pm, police asked for a search, but the driver opened fire and sped off. This prompted the officers to give chase. The pickup truck later plunged into a roadside ditch on Soi Wat Siwaram in the same district, two men in the vehicle fled into a roadside forest.
Police surrounded the area and later managed to arrest one suspect, identified later as Noppadol Muangsrichan. The driver, known only as Coke, managed to flee.
Mr Noppadol, 27, was wanted on a court warrant for his involvement in the attack on a car carrying four men in Bang Pahan district early Thursday morning. The shooting left Khwanchai Pimchai, 31, dead and car driver Sunthorn Khaosamruang, 30, badly wounded. The two other passengers were unharmed.
The attack occurred shortly after the victims left a restaurant in Bang Pahan at around 4.30am on Thursday.
Police said Mr Noppadol was the leader of the gang of four attackers. The three other suspects --Weeraphol Hattahayamart, 27; Phet Rattanawaraha, 33; and Sutthkarn Phethin, 25 -- were earlier caught on Friday evening.
The four suspects have been charged with colluding in the murder. Mr Noppadol faced an additional charge of attempted murder while fleeing the arrest.
Police were interrogating the four to find their motive.
Coke, who was still at large, was not involved in Thursday's attack, but he drove the pickup truck to help Mr Noppadol flee the police arrest on Friday night.
Four suspects involved in the fatal gun attack in Ayuttaya on Sept 6. Clockwise from top left: Noppadol Muangsrichan, 27, the alleged gang leader; Weeraphol Hattayamart, 27; Sutthikarn Phethin, 25, and Phet Rattanavaraha, 25. (Photo by Sunthorn Pongpao)