Patong Police confirmed the incident occurred at about 10pm, when officers received a radio alert that a covered pickup truck with no visible licence plates had used a firearm to intimidate a pair of victims before fleeing toward Patong Hospital.
Patrol, traffic and investigative units immediately coordinated to track the vehicle, said police. Officers intercepted the pickup in front of Patong Hospital using tactical manoeuvres and ordered the driver to exit the vehicle.
By coincidence, Patong Police Station is directly across the intersection from Patong Hospital.
A search of the pickup found one blank gun and two 9mm blank rounds, which were seized for examination.
The driver, identified in the police report as Adiphong Simalai, 30, was detained and given an alcohol test, which returned a reading of 127mg/100ml ‒ well over the legal limit.
Adiphong was taken into custody for further questioning, and the case file has been passed to the investigating officer for legal action on charges including driving under the influence and using a firearm-like weapon to instil fear, Patong Police reported.
Patong Police Chief Pol Col Chalermchai Hirasawat has been informed of the arrest, police also noted in their report.
Of note, the report gave no explanation as to what had prompted Adiphong to threaten people with the blank gun.