PATTAYA, Thailand – A late-night drug sting erupted into gunfire at a petrol station on Sukhumvit Road in Pattaya after a pickup driver allegedly rammed a glass-fronted office while attempting to escape a police ambush, before being arrested with about 10 grams of crystal methamphetamine. The incident occurred at 12.29am on October 14, when Pattaya City Police received a report of gunfire at a petrol station in Nongprue, Banglamung district, Chonburi.
Police investigators led by Pol Lt Col Chinawat Thisala, deputy superintendent of Pattaya City Police, went to the scene and found the station office severely damaged, with shattered glass after being struck by a reversing pickup. A Bangkok-registered license plate and a broken rear-light component were also found nearby. Investigators recovered evidence of five 9mm bullet strikes or cartridge-related traces on the forecourt, which were collected for examination. Initial reports said officers fired approximately five to six shots, reportedly aiming at the pickup’s tyres to stop the driver escaping.
A fuel station employee, 18-year-old Manasawin Chuayngan, told police that a white, single-cab Isuzu D-Max had arrived with one man behind the wheel. The driver requested 1,000 baht worth of fuel. A red sedan then pulled in behind the pickup, while another white pickup blocked the exit ahead, trapping the vehicle between them. The driver appeared to realize he was being intercepted and reversed into the station office, smashing its glass doors and walls. He then accelerated in an attempt to break out, leaving black tyre marks across the forecourt as officers opened fire. Despite the shots, the driver managed to leave the station, prompting police to pursue him along Sukhumvit Road.
The employee said the driver had also left 994.60 baht of the fuel bill unpaid before the pump hose disconnected and the automatic cut-off system stopped the flow. Police eventually intercepted the damaged pickup outside another petrol station in North Pattaya, on the inbound side of Sukhumvit Road. The vehicle had sustained damage to both its front and rear, while its front-left tyre had come apart, leaving it unable to continue.
Officers arrested Rachata Pitracharoen, 41, known as “Man Sattahip”, and seized approximately 10 grams of crystal methamphetamine. According to the drug suppression team, officers had received information from an informant that the suspect planned to deliver around 30 grams of crystal methamphetamine to a police informant at a petrol station in Pattaya. Provincial Police Region 2 drug suppression officers then arranged an undercover purchase to intercept him. The suspect allegedly attempted to flee when officers moved in, leading to the collision and gunfire before the pursuit ended in his arrest.
Police are continuing to examine the evidence and reconstruct the sequence of events, including the circumstances surrounding the shooting. Authorities are also investigating the origin of the drugs and whether other people or a wider trafficking network were involved. The suspect faces a preliminary charge relating to possession of a Category 1 narcotic, crystal methamphetamine, for sale. The precise allegations remain subject to the investigation and legal process. No injuries were reported. The main damage was to the petrol station office and the pickup used in the attempted escape.
