A military officer and bodyguard for an army major general was arrested and charged yesterday by the Takeo Provincial Court for illegally firing a weapon on Thursday in Tram Kak district.

Ngeth Sopheak, 31, a military officer with the Brigade E70 Unit and bodyguard to the units’ deputy commander Thong Sarath, was arrested for instigating a “shooting spree” according to Brigadier General La Lai, commander of the Takeo Provincial Military Police.

Sopheak was arrested by military police after drunkenly firing two bullets into the air outside a restaurant, according to an anonymous provincial military officer tasked with heading penal affairs in Takeo who is unauthorised to speak to the press.

“He drank about one and a half cases of beers in the restaurant,” he said, adding that Ngeth is being temporarily detained at provincial military police headquarters pending further investigation.

Sopheak and Sarath could not be reached for comment.