Police shot and injured an unarmed man in Battambang province on Tuesday after they caught him attempting to steal a motorbike, according to a local official, who claimed the shooting was both an accident and an act of self-defense.
Chea Samnang, 40, was picking the wheel lock of a 2016 Honda Dream parked outside the Svay Por commune health center in Battambang City when a pair of provincial police officers spotted him at about 9:20 a.m., according to deputy provincial police chief Chet Vanny.
Confronted, Mr. Samnang tried to run away but the officers caught up to him and tried to handcuff him.
“The suspect fought back against the officers and tried to escape after they grabbed him,” he said. “The officers shot one time to scare him when the situation became rough, but the bullet hit the suspect’s left leg and injured him.”
Mr. Vanny said the bullet had ricocheted off the ground before striking Mr. Samnang’s left calf.
Mr. Vanny said the man was arrested and then taken to Battambang Provincial Referral Hospital for treatment, declining to name the officer who shot him.
