Update: The man was taken into police custody without further incident as of 11am.
Police on Friday morning had surrounded a shophouse near Chulalongkorn University in downtown Bangkok to negotiate with a man who reportedly fired upward of 40 rounds from a firearm, according to several reports.
Police were alerted at about 8:45am to shots being fired gunshots in Soi Chula 10. Police officers rushed to the shophouse and sent in a team to talk the man down, identified as 44-year-old Ekkachai Charueksilp.
There were no reports of anyone being hurt. A witness said he was hanging out with friends near the place at around 4am when they heard of the gunshots. The man, the witness said, pointed the gun toward them and shot a few rounds but they managed to escape unharmed and called the police.
Pedestrians and motorists are advised to stay away from the area. Col. Kritsana Pattanacharoen, deputy police spokesman, said the incident is not a mass shooting and said the public should not panic.
It comes less than a week after a soldier killed 29 and injured dozens inside a shopping mall in Nakhon Ratchasima province.
This is a developing story and may be updated without notice.
Reader Interactions