Chinese national arrested after armed standoff at Pattaya convenience store
Police investigators and tourist police went to the convenience store at the entrance of Soi Theppasit 8 in tambon Nong Prue of Bang Lamung district after receiving a report of a foreign man carrying a gun inside the store at about 12.15am, said Pol Lt Col Siriwat Khratchamas, deputy chief of Pattaya police station.
Upon arrival, police found many vendors and bystanders gathered outside the store. The officers swiftly evacuated the area and established a perimeter around the premises.
After more than two hours of negotiations, aided by a translator, the suspect — identified as Zhang Shuai, 35, originally from Korea but holding Chinese citizenship — surrendered peacefully and emerged from the rear of the store with his hands raised.
The police team recovered a modified Glock 19 handgun, capable of firing 380 mm ammunition, which Mr Zhang had reportedly brought into the store.
According to employees, the man had entered the store in a distressed state, claiming he was being followed by other Chinese nationals intent on harming him. The employees told police they saw another Chinese man following closely behind before Mr Zhang fled to the back of the store. As staff noticed Mr Zhang was armed, they immediately fled and alerted police.
Pol Col Anake Srathongyu, Pattaya police chief, said Mr Zhang was taken into custody for questioning.
Investigators were looking into possible links to call centre scam syndicates, as the incident bore similarities to a previous case involving a Korean man fleeing a Chinese-led call centre gang near this beach town.
On Wednesday, eight members of a Korean-Chinese call centre gang accused of brutally beating a South Korean man were arrested during a police raid on a building in Bang Lamung district, just north of Pattaya city.
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