A Russian tourist was injured after being hit by a stray bullet fired by a police officer at fleeing bag snatchers.
Elena Sarycmeva, 27, suffered a single 9mm shot to her right ankle in the Dec. 14 event near the Grand Condominium Pattaya on Thepprasit Road. Two parked trucks also were damaged in the police shooting spree.
The episode began when police spotted two teenagers grab the Russian woman’s bag while driving a motorbike around 9 p.m. But when they refused to heed calls to stop, the unidentified police officers started shooting, hitting both suspects, the Russian victim and the two vehicles.
Police and representatives from the Pattaya Tourist Assistance Fund visit the Russian woman in the hospital and present her with 20,000 baht and a fruit basket.
Pattaya police officials did not disclose what, if any, disciplinary measures were being taken against the trigger-happy cops.
Hit by gunfire, the fleeing suspects crashed their bike and were taken into custody.
Agkarapol Buaberg, 18, was hit by a 9mm bullet in the left calf, and a 17-year-old passenger was hit by two bullets his left ankle.
Police said Agkarapol confessed his friend asked him to steal some bags to get money to buy food for his baby. They found the Russian woman on Dongtan Beach, but were seen by police, who went after them.
Police and representatives from the Pattaya Tourist Assistance Fund visited the Russian woman in the hospital and presented her with 20,000 baht and a fruit basket.
Sarycmeva said she wasn’t upset with being shot, as she viewed it as an accident that could have befallen anyone. She figures she will be able to walk normally in about a month.
