Gold shop owner shoots one of four robbers

A gold shop owner shot and wounded one of four men trying to rob his business in Muang district of Tak on Thursday afternoon. Another man was arrested and two others fled.

The shooting occurred in front of the Yaowarat gold shop, opposite Tak Pitthayakhom School, said police who were alerted around 1pm.

On arriving at the shop, police officers and an emergency response team found one man lying face down in a pool of blood on the floor in front of the shop. He was seriously wounded and rushed to Somdet Phrachao Taksin Maharat Hospital. Updates on his condition could not be confirmed.

Phisit Raphitphan, 46, the shop owner, told police that four men ridding on two motorcycles with no licence plates had parked their bikes in front of his shop. The men, all wearing face masks and caps, walked toward the shop and some of them fired shots at a glass door.

After they kicked at the door to enter the shop, Mr Phisit told his wife to flee inside. He fired one shot in self-defence while two of the robbers were trying to cut through steel bars to get in. The gunshot caused them to flee. He fired four more shots that hit one thief on his motorcycle, and the man fell to the floor.

The two other men managed to flee on their motorcycle while the other suspect set off on foot but was later caught by police.