Three young men have been hospitalized with gunshot wounds to their legs after a gang of bandits attacked a large group of revelers riding their motorbikes home to Kandal province from a drinking party in Phnom Penh early on Thursday morning, police said.
The group of 18 friends was riding on eight motorbikes through Meanchey district when their assailants—four men on two motorbikes—pulled alongside them and opened fire without warning, according to district police chief Teng Sino.
“They shot and injured three victims and then took two of their motorbikes—an MSX and a Honda Dream 2014—to escape,” Mr. Sino said, adding that two bullet casings had been collected as evidence and that an investigation was underway.
From his bed at Preah Kossamak Hospital, Muong Samnang, 19, explained how he was chased by the attackers and shot in the knee. He said that he was driving the Honda MSX, which retails for upward of $2,000, when the assailants pulled alongside his group and began to fire their handguns.
“They did not say anything. They just raised their guns and fired on me and my friends,” Mr. Samnang said.
As some bikes skidded and some sped up, Mr. Samnang said he lost control and crashed before attempting to run away with his passenger and friend, Chhloch Namchheav, also 19, as the gunmen gave chase on the motorbikes.
“They shot and hit me in the left knee, and my friend in the right knee,” he said. “I cannot remember their faces and I do not know any of them.”
Hong Chipmy, 21, another of the victims recovering in the hospital, said he crashed his motorbike in the chaos and made away on foot, chased by the thieves, who opened fire on him and hit him once in the knee.
“The suspect was thin and tall and wore a black shirt,” he said. “I think that they fired five or six bullets. I have never been involved in an incident like this. It was so scary.”
