BURIRAM, Thailand – A 32-year-old Ukrainian man has been arrested in Buriram after he allegedly displayed what appeared to be a handgun while drinking at a roadside restaurant and then drove away in a BMW, with police stopping the vehicle in Prakhon Chai municipal area after checkpoints were set up on the evening of August 24. Officers later found a BB gun in the car and said the driver was over the alcohol limit, according to police reports.

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The incident was reported to Prakhon Chai police at approximately 8 p.m. by Ban Sai subdistrict chief Yai, who said a foreign man had allegedly shown a gun while drinking at a restaurant on the Buriram-Prakhon Chai road. Yai told police that he and his wife followed the man’s BMW, relaying its location to officers as it travelled from the area, and reports indicated the BMW was heading towards Buriram city before it turned back in the direction of Prakhon Chai district, prompting checkpoints to be established along the route.

Officers eventually stopped a black BMW 740iL with Bangkok number plates in the Prakhon Chai municipal area, and the driver was identified as Y. S., 32, a Ukrainian national whose passport showed he had entered Thailand on August 25, 2022 as a student. A BB gun was found inside the vehicle, police said, while a urine test did not detect illegal drugs but a breath test recorded an alcohol level over the legal limit.

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Y. S. was initially charged with drunk driving, and police said they would carry out further background checks and investigate the circumstances of the restaurant report. The case highlights ongoing enforcement efforts against firearm-related incidents and drunk driving in Thailand’s provinces, as authorities continue to investigate the full circumstances surrounding the incident.

-Thailand News (TN)