The man is arrested after firing several shots at the commune police station. Police
A 27-year-old man was detained for questioning by Kandal provincial police in the early hours of January 2 for allegedly firing several shots at on-duty officers after crashing into three utility poles while driving a heavy truck in Koh Thom district’s Sampov Puon commune.
This incident was followed by further mayhem alleged to have been committed by the suspect back at the police station when he grabbed an AK-47 assault rifle and fired seven warning shots in an attempt to intimidate the police officers who stood outside a room at the station the suspect had locked himself in.
District police chief Sim Kheang said the man suspected of being the driver of the heavy truck lives in Sa’ang district.
“We arrested the suspect and sent him to the provincial police already. I think the provincial police are now questioning him. No one was injured in the shootout,” he said.
According to the provincial police report, the suspect destroyed three electrical utility poles and downed 60m of power transmission lines while driving the truck.
He then damaged even more property when he fired the gun off inside of the local police station, which broke three windows, destroyed a computer, and damaged three cabinets as well as the ceiling and roof of Sampov Puon commune police station, the report details.
The police said they had arrested him and impounded the truck at the commune police station in order for his employer to resolve the matter as he was the purported owner of the vehicle.
The report continued that the employer – identified as Kong Chieb Leng, 40, from Sa’ang district – came to the commune police station at about 3pm and agreed to fix the poles and reconnect the downed power lines.
But the suspect then rushed into a room in the police station and locked himself inside after grabbing one of three AK-47 rifles from an unlocked cabinet.
The police and his employer tried to lure the man out, but he refused. The situation was then reported to the district and provincial police.
At about 7pm, the suspect fired the rifle three times to intimidate the police so that they wouldn’t try to make any further attempts to apprehend him.
Provincial police chief Chhoeun Sochet led a group of officers to the commune police station to provide back up, and when they arrived the suspect then fired an additional four warning shots.
The standoff continued for three more hours until police fired tear gas into the room before breaking in and disarming him.
Sochet could not be reached for comment on January 3. But deputy provincial chief Roeun Nara said they plan to send the suspect to court on January 4.
