29.09.09 Pattaya Police apologize following shooting of innocent bystander during undercover Police Operation.
Being an undercover Police Officer, decisions sometimes have to be made
in a spilt second and occasionally these decisions can result in
mistakes occurring. This is one such case which occurred in the early
hours of Sunday Morning when a group of Pattaya Undercover Police
Officers were involved in a drug operation on the Tepprasit Road in
Jomtien in front of the weekend market. They were attempting to arrest
a gang of youths suspected of dealing in drugs, however the operation
went wrong and ended up as a shootout between the gang members and
Police, during which a stray bullet hit Khun Pacharawan aged 23, who
was sitting close-by eating some noodles. She was rushed to the
Bangkok-Hospital Pattaya after sustaining a gun shot wound to her right
leg. Later on Sunday, Pattaya Police Officers came to visit the woman,
whose medical expenses are being covered by the Police. They were
extremely sorry for the mistake which could have potentially been a
fatal one. Police Captain Chort, who was representing the Pattaya
Police Chief explained that this was a terrible mistake and promised
there would be a full investigation into the incident which will be
followed by disciplinary action and compensation for the innocent
victim.