A Vientiane man has been arrested after firing a gun at a shopfront in a drunken rage after misplacing his mobile phone.
Police were called to the scene at 9:30 pm on Thursday evening after a man fired a handgun into a shopfront in Thongkang Village, Sisattanak District.
The man was apprehended at approximately midnight and his weapon was confiscated.
According to Col. Odai Phimmachan, Head of the Sisattanak District Office of Public Security, the man admitted to firing his weapon.
The 40-year-old man, identified as Mr. Alee, said he had misplaced his mobile phone after arriving home from drinking with his friends.
Deciding he must have left his phone at the restaurant where he had been drinking, Mr. Alee returned to the restaurant and questioned the owner.
When the owner explained that he had not seen the phone, Mr. Alee became upset and fired his weapon into the shopfront.
Police are continuing their investigation and are to proceed with legal action.
Gun violence is on the rise in Laos, with the use of firearms in murder cases also increasing, according to police.
