A Turkish man who survived a drive-by shooting in Sihanoukville only to be arrested less than 24 hours later over an earlier stabbing incident was charged by the Preah Sihanouk Provincial Court on Sunday—after which he attempted to flee while still in handcuffs.
Deputy prosecutor Ream Chanmony said Mehmet Tekoglu, 40, was charged on Sunday with intentional violence for allegedly stabbing an Israeli man Wednesday.
According to police, the drive-by shooting outside the Kampongsom City Casino in Sihanoukville’s Buon commune—in which 10 rounds were fired at Mr. Tekoglu, injuring a Cambodian bystander—was in retaliation for the stabbing.
“We charged him with intentional violence against the Israeli national,” Mr. Chanmony said. “After we charged him, the accused ran away from the courthouse. But police arrested him again after he ran about 300 meters away from the courthouse.”
Men Vanny, chief of the provincial police’s minor crime bureau, said that after being charged, Mr. Tekoglu asked to go to the bathroom to urinate.
“We allowed him to go to the toilet, but he ran away from police and then climbed the court’s fence with his handcuffs still on,” he said.
“He ran across the road into a forest and our police surrounded the forest to arrest him,” he said, adding that Mr. Tekoglu had since been sent to the provincial prison.
Mr. Chanmony, the deputy prosecutor, said he reported Mr. Tekoglu’s attempt to flee to the investigating judge handling the case.
He also said that he could not recall the name of the Israeli victim and that the drive-by was still being investigated.
“We are still investing the shooting,” Mr. Chanmony said. “We do not have enough evidence yet, so we did not arrest other people yet.”
Last week, provincial governor Chhit Sokhon said the violence was born of a business dispute between Mr. Tekoglu—whose Facebook page lists him as the owner of the Sea Cambodia boat-charter company—and several Israeli restaurant owners.
Deputy provincial police chief Kol Phally said on Sunday that police were not yet sure who was behind the drive-by.
