At 10.16pm yesterday (May 31), a Phuket woman alerted Wichit Police Station about a situation at S.Charoenyont garage, located across the road from Phuket Villa 3 housing estate on Chao Fa East Rd.
According to the woman’s report, her son was at the garage, drunk to the extent of being unable to control himself, having access to firearms, and shooting them.
Wichit Police officers rushed to the scene and established a cordon around the garage while requesting reinforcement including a SWAT team. Leading the officers were Wichit Police Commander Col Chatri Chukaew and his deputy Lt Col Atthawat Suwannarat.
Police maintained the blockade until 5.30am when the suspect left the garage and tried to escape in a black Mercedes-Benz luxury sedan. The car failed to start, and the man was apprehended. The suspect did not have any firearms "in his hands" at that moment, but had a shoulder bag, police noted.
The suspect was identified as Worawut Upama, 39 years old, a resident of Wichit. The subsequent search resulted in the seizure of weapons, described as two shotguns, two rifles, a knife, a samurai sword.
Despite the report, Wichit Police photos do not show any rifles, with all the firearms being shotguns. The ammunition in the pictures is also limited to shotgun cartridges.
Wichit Police Chief Col Chatri confirmed later today (June 1) that Mr Worawut was charged with possessing firearms without permission; carrying firearms in a public area without a reasonable cause; shooting firearms in a public area without a reasonable cause; and consuming an illegal category 1 drug (methamphetamine).
It was not disclosed if the guns were unregistered or registered in the name of someone other than Mr Worawut.