An officer in Prime Minister Hun Sen’s personal bodyguard unit was arrested after firing his pistol into the air early on Monday morning before leading military police on a 15-minute motorbike chase through Phnom Penh, military police said.
Hong Yen, a lieutenant colonel in the Prime Minister Bodyguard Unit based in Kandal province, drunkenly fired a single shot into the air at about 12:30 a.m. in Phnom Penh’s Pur Senchey district before fleeing the scene on his motorbike, according to two separate military police officers who asked not to be named as they did not have permission to speak with the media.
“We arrested the gunman when he tried to escape into Meanchey district after the shooting,” one of the officers said, adding that military police officers from both districts had cooperated to arrest the bodyguard.
Mr. Yen was arrested at about 12:45 a.m. in Meanchey district and handed over to municipal police immediately afterward, they said.
Deputy municipal military police commander Pol Davy said on Monday that he was aware of the arrest of Mr. Yen, but could not comment further.
Officials at the bodyguard unit could not be reached.
