On May 2, a gold-bronze pickup truck with no license plates approached a police road block in Baan Koktanode in Cherng Talay, slowed down and then, as police went to speak with the driver, accelerated through the road block, narrowly missing one of the officers.
Police opened fire and hit one of the rear tyres but the pickup continued on out of sight.
An alert was put out and the officers discovered that this was not the first time the truck had been driven through a police check point. The driver was suspected of being involved in drug dealing.
The pickup was distinctive-looking, with lowered suspension and a loud exhaust, and had been seen many times in the Thalang area.
On Monday, four days later, a very similar vehicle was spotted by a Cherng Talay police officer near the Bangkok Hospital; only the wheels were different.
By now, police knew the identity of the driver: Suchart Srijean, 34, from Pichit Province, who already had a police record for involvement in narcotics.
Suchart was buying food from a roadside food stall, but seemed nervous, always checking around him. The officer called Phuket City police for help. As they approached, however, Suchart made a run for it.
Dodging around houses and through an alley behind the Government Savings bank, Suchart was almost caught when a policeman grabbed his leg as he climbed over a wall, but the fugitive managed to wriggle out of the officer’s grip.
Running through a construction site, he grabbed an axe, which he used to threaten a young woman, stealing her Yamaha Fino motorbike and making good his escape.
The following day police discovered that Suchart had dumped the bike in Koh Kaew and then called its owner’s mother to tell her where it could be found.
Pol Maj Kritsana Janmit of Phuket City Police explained that the owner of the bike had left her mobile phone under the seat. Suchart used it to call the mother, who in turn told her daughter about the call.
The daughter, worried about her safety, called police who went with her to Koh Kaew Post Office where they found the bike neatly parked.
At time of going to press, police did not know where Suchart was, but said they believed he was still on Phuket.