The incident took place around 10:30pm near the festival’s central stage area.
Officers from Phuket City Police responded to reports of youths chasing each other with knives ‒ and at least one man brandishing a sword ‒ and the sound of a loud firecracker, believed to have been thrown during the altercation.
A video recorded at the time showed people fleeing to safety.
A team of investigators and patrol officers led by Pol Lt Col Yutthaphon Phromdao, Pol Col Chatree Chukaew, Chief of Phuket City Police, and other senior officers responded to the scene.
Witnesses told police that two rival groups of youths had met at the event and began threatening one another. One group reportedly threw a large firecracker, prompting the other to brandish what appeared to be a gun, though no shots were fired. The groups then fled before police arrived.
At around 12:30am, investigators arrested three suspects ‒ identified as Chatchai, 20; Ong-at, 20; and Ekkasit, 21‒ at the scene. Officers seized several weapons including a homemade pen gun, a .38-calibre round, brass knuckles, a 14.5-inch black leather sheath, and a six-inch folding knife.
Upon questioning, the suspects admitted to encountering their rivals during the festival and engaging in a confrontation that escalated to threats involving weapons and firecrackers. They fled after the scuffle but were later apprehended.
Pol Col Chatree ordered drug screening for all three suspects, with test results returning positive for methamphetamine use.
The suspects now face multiple charges. All three were charged with possession of an unlicensed firearm and carrying a weapon in a public place without reasonable cause, as well as use of Category 1 narcotics (methamphetamine).
Chatchai was also charged with attempted discharge of a firearm in a public place without reasonable cause, Ong-at was also charged with carrying a knife in public without justifiable reason, and Ekkasit was also charged with carrying a concealed weapon (brass knuckles) and driving under the influence of a Category 1 narcotic.
All three suspects remain in custody at Phuket City Police Station as legal proceedings continue, police confirmed.