Three People Killed In Shooting At Thailand's Siam Paragon Mall, 14-Year-Old Teenager Suspect Successfully Arrested

Illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/Tony Webster)

JAKARTA - Thai police managed to arrest a 14-year-old teenager, a suspected shooting at a luxury mall in Bangkok, Thailand that killed three people and injured four others on Tuesday.

Chaos erupted after reports of gunfire in the afternoon before rush hour shopping at Siam Paragon mall, one of Thailand's most popular shopping and recreation venues, as well as an attraction for foreign tourists.

Police said a 14-year-old suspected of being the shooter had been arrested and is being interrogated.

Meanwhile, emergency services shared a picture of a police officer arresting and handcuffing someone lying face down on the ground and another officer taking a gun from the floor.

Previously, hundreds of people, including children, were seen coming out of the mall in Bangkok's commercial heart when it rained heavily, according to videos on social media.

"It happened in just a few minutes. We saw everyone running, running, running, we didn't understand what happened," said Israeli Shir Yahav (26) who was at the designer shop when the shooting took place.

Thai Prime Minister Sretta Thavisin expressed concern over the incident.

"I know about the shooting incident in Siam Paragon. I am most worried about public safety," he wrote on social media X.

Meanwhile, the mall said it was immediately evacuating buyers and staff, stressing safety was the most important.

"Siam Paragon would like to express our deepest apologies for this unexpected incident," the mall said in a statement.

"The authorities have been able to control the situation and arrest the perpetrators," the statement continued.

It is known that gun violence and gun possession are not uncommon in Thailand. This incident occurred a year after a former police officer killed 36 people, including himself and 22 children, in a kindergarten in a gun and knife attack that lasted for hours.

In 2020, a soldier shot and killed at least 29 people and injured 57 others in the tantrums that occurred in four locations around the city of Nakhon Ratchasima.