A drunk Pattaya city municipal officer who flew into a fit of road rage was arrested for harassing Russian tourists and brandishing a gun.
Chaiyon Chaodon, 41, was apprehended April 1 after the 10 p.m. incident near the Pattaya Floating Market. A loaded 38-caliber handgun was confiscated from the glove compartment of his Mazda pickup truck.
The arrest came after tourist minibus driver Bunliang Aphaiyasith, 46, called for help from police and the media when Chaiyon allegedly began honking and screaming at him as he drove toward the Ambassador City Hotel with a full load of Russian tourists. The regulatory-enforcement officer apparently was angered that the minibus was going too slowly and that he could not pass him.
Chaiyon Chaodon (white t-shirt) denies the charges; nonetheless, police confiscated the handgun (lower right) that witnesses claimed he brandished in a fit of road rage.
Chaiyon then waved a gun, Bunliang claimed, and he pulled the bus over fearing harm would come to himself or the tourists.
Police said Chaiyon denied threatening anyone and simply had been in a hurry to see his wife after a round of drinking. The city officer was transferred to the Nongprue Police Station for further investigation.
