Two people were seriously injured and 13 arrested early Thursday when bands of armed youths clashed outside the popular Spark Entertainment Center in Phnom Penh, military police said.
As many as 10 gunshots were fired shortly before 1 am when a brawl among 30 youths spilled out of the nightclub and on to Mao Tse Tung Boulevard where they began ramming each other in their cars, Chamkar Mon district military police chief Khun Sam Ol said.
However, Spark director Thav Rith said he believed that the brawl had not begun inside his club, though he could not be certain given the high volume of people inside.
Thon Vandet, 38, deputy chief of immigration police at Phnom Penh International Airport, was shot in the lung as he drove past the gunfight, said Khun Sam Ol, adding that the wounded official was flown to a Vietnamese hospital for treatment.
“Our military police were trying to stop them and were shooting into the air as both gangs shot at passengers on Mao Tse Tung Boulevard,” he said. One of the brawlers was also injured when he crashed his car into a tree during the street battle, Khun Sam Ol said.
Most of the rampaging youths escaped in four cars and no firearms were recovered from the 13 who were arrested, Khun Sam Ol said.
“They are students from rich families and government officials’ sons,” he said, maintaining that he did not have the names of those detained.
Police seized a Mercedes-Benz, a Toyota pickup and a Honda Civic, all damaged, at the scene, he said.
The well-connected youths involved in the street battle had engaged in at least eight separate fights in the past, he added. “Their mothers vouched for them many times and promised to warn their sons but in fact their sons still created many problems,” he said.
Thav Rith said he believed his nightclub was safe as violent incidents were rare and guards were always instructed to be watchful. The 13 suspects will be sent to court today, according to Khun Sam Ol.
(Additional reporting by Kim Chan)
