A US citizen and a British citizen have been arrested for allegedly beating two German men on Saturday who they suspected of committing sexual acts against minors before bribing their way out of prosecution, police and court officials said.
Brian “Ammo” Amundsen, 27, a resident of Sihanoukville, said he saw one of the two men take a young male into a bungalow at a Sihanoukville guest house late Saturday night.
“We saw them carrying on and we took action,” he said, referring to himself and Richard Williams, 39. The two men are co-owners of the Red Snapper in Sihanoukville.
Amundsen said Williams kicked one of the Germans in the groin as Amundsen beat the other with a stick.
The German men, believed to be 57 and 60 years old, were injured but did not require hospitalization, according to Amundsen and police.
The incident has lead to police investigations of both the alleged pedophiles and of the vigilantes.
So Bunnoeun, deputy police chief in Sihanoukville, said police are filing court documents against one German tourist, charging him with sexual assault of two boys in his guest house. It was not known which of the two German men was charged.
Amundsen and Williams also face charges of battery. They were arrested Monday after one of the Germans complained. Currently, they await court hearings.
Police said they are holding the German’s passport as they continue their investigation; he has been released and is believed to be staying in Sihanoukville.
Amundsen said he was concerned that Sihanoukville police dropped the case against the German after taking a bribe and worried that police would target him for his allegations of bribe taking. So Bunnoeun said he did not know of any bribe.
Amundsen said he and Williams were driven by a hatred of pedophilia.
“We took action because we saw police not taking action,” he said. “I don’t want them down here. It’s as simple as that. It’s bad for business. It’s bad for everything.”
