One man
has been taken into custody for setting fire to tires in front of Siam
Commercial Bank opposite Soi Town & Town. Another suspect is being sought.
Boonlua Chatree
One man was arrested and police are searching for another
for allegedly setting fire to tires in front of a Central Road bank.
Chalermpol Saentat, 35, was taken into custody at the Boy
laundry on Soi VC March 15. Wearing only a towel, Chalermpol denied
involvement in any crime, but officers found a yellow shirt smelling of
gasoline at the laundry and had tracked a suspect’s motorbike to his soi.
The investigation began around 1 a.m. when police were
alerted to stacks of burning tires at the Siam Commercial Bank opposite Soi
Town & Town. Passers-by had extinguished the fire before officials arrived
and reported they’d seen two men dressed in yellow shirts deposit the
motorcycle tires, douse them in gas and torch them.
A security guard provided a description of the men and
their blue-gray Honda bike to police.
Later that night police saw two men carrying tires on a
Honda near the X-Zyte nightclub on Third Road. When pursued, they dropped
the tires and ditched police around Soi Bongkot.
The burning-tire incident was the second reported this
week, the first coming a day before in front of Pattaya City Hall. Police
are unsure of the motive behind the crime, but are detaining Chalermpol
until they understand.
