PATTAYA, Chonburi – A late-night confrontation between rival teenage gangs in Pattaya escalated into chaos early Tuesday morning when homemade “ping-pong” bombs were thrown, machetes brandished, and finally a gunshot rang out that pierced a teen boy’s arm and lung, leaving him in critical condition.
The incident occurred shortly after 2:00 a.m. on December 9th 2025 on Nong Mai Kaen Road near Soi Nong Mai Kaen 17, under the jurisdiction of Nongprue Police Station.
Police Lieutenant Sonthaya Khonsap, deputy patrol commander of Pattaya City Police Station, was on routine crime-prevention patrol along Sukhumvit Road when a group of panicked teenagers, aged 13–18, flagged him down in front of a shopping mall on the inbound-to-Chonburi lane. One boy was bleeding heavily from a gunshot wound to his left arm that had passed through into his lung. He was rushed to a local hospital in critical conditionAccording to witnesses and the injured youths, the trouble began when several rival teen gangs had arranged to “settle a score” on Nong Mai Kaen Road. A separate group of teenagers who were simply riding around for fun happened to pass the gathering.
One of the passers-by, a 16-year-old boy identified only as “Bas” (pseudonym), told police that both sides were already chasing and swinging machetes at each other when someone, he is unsure which side, began throwing ping-pong bombs.“Suddenly there were explosions everywhere,” Bas said. “My friend pulled out a knife to swing at someone chasing us, but I stopped him because I wasn’t sure if it was even one of the rivals. Then three guys on a black Honda PCX, black, rode up, pulled a gun and fired. The bullet hit my friend in the middle of our group.”A 13-year-old boy identified as “Yuu” (pseudonym), who was riding with the injured victim, gave a similar account to The Pattaya News: “We were just cruising and saw a big group looking like they were waiting to fight someone else. We only glanced over while passing, and suddenly a ping-pong bomb was thrown at us. We tried to escape, but they chased us, shot my friend, punched two others, then put the gun to my face and asked ‘Which group are you kids from?’ I was too scared to answer.”
The girlfriend of the boy who was shot added that as the groups passed each other on the road, someone from the rival side shouted, “You looking for trouble? Pull over or I’ll shoot!” Moments later the gun was fired.Witnesses described at least 30 teenagers on the road that night, belonging to multiple cliques, causing confusion over who was fighting whom and leading innocent bystanders to be caught in the crossfire.Pattaya police have coordinated with Nongprue Police Station to investigate the scene. Officers are waiting for the critically injured boy to stabilize before taking full statements and filing formal charges. Authorities say they will pursue charges of attempted murder, illegal possession of firearms and explosives, and assault against the suspects once they are identified.Police urged parents to monitor their children’s nighttime activities, warning that gang rivalries involving weapons are becoming increasingly common in the Pattaya area.
