Kamala Police working together with Phuket Immigration officers arrested 38-year-old British national Jamie Ian Bryant at a hotel in Wichit yesterday (Jan 2).
Pol Lt Atcha Yatiwat, Deputy Inspector of Kamala Police Station, received a report of the incident on Monday evening (Jan 1).
Bryant and his friend were traveling in a tuk-tuk past the Oasis Spa in Kamala when an argument broke out.
According to the tuk-tuk driver, Chanchai Phet-in, who witnessed the incident, an argument erupted between his two foreign male passengers, culminating in one man assaulting the other with a firearm inside the tuk-tuk.
The injured victim’s friend promptly notified the Kamala Police Station, leading to a coordinated response from the patrol and investigation teams. Bryant fled the scene, and a subsequent search of a nearby house, believed to be the assailant’s residence, yielded blood-stained shoes and the suspect’s passport.
Further investigations revealed the suspect’s association with Chanidapa Wanitchayaphatthaphon, residing at Central Gear Hotel & Apartment. The police, along with immigration officers, tracked down Ms Chanidapa, who confirmed her boyfriend’s involvement in the incident.
Officers arrived at her apartment to be told that Bryant was in the bathroom. Police asked her to call him to come out, which he did without resistance.
Bryant confessed to the violent argument and subsequent use of the concealed firearm. Bryant revealed he disposed of the weapon along ‘Chaofa Mine Road’ in Wichit, linking Prince of Songkla University Phuket campus to Chao Fa West Rd.
Bryant led the police to the discarded weapon’s location, wrapped in a white T-shirt. Nearby was a bullet box branded ‘SHELL SHOCK NAS’ still containing 36 9mm bullets.
The injured victim received medical attention, and Bryant faces charges related to the assault, possession of a firearm, and causing bodily harm.
The investigation is ongoing, and authorities said they were working to ensure justice is served. However, what inspired the argument between the two men was not explained.