A 32-year-old man under the influence of methamphetamine threatened an employee with a knife in a toy shop near Pattaya before being overpowered by the police.
The incident took place on Tuesday afternoon in the Nong Prue district. Around 4:30 pm, the police were alerted by a call reporting that a man in an agitated state was threatening a woman with a bladed weapon in a toy shop.
Police forces, led by Superintendent Col. Natthaphon Phong Suksakul, immediately arrived on the scene, accompanied by patrol officers and rescuers from the Sawang Boriboon Thammasathan foundation. Inside the shop, a thin man identified as Wirachai, alias Foo, 32 years old, was holding a pair of scissors in one hand and a cutter in the other, which he pressed against the throat of Suleeporn Nongyai, 31, a shop employee.
The officers attempted to negotiate with the suspect by telephone, without success. Taking advantage of a moment of distraction, they opened the door with a spare key. Lieutenant-Colonel Suphat Sudsong gave the signal for the assault. After a brief struggle, the officers disarmed the man and freed the victim, who suffered only a minor cut to the hand.
The suspect was taken to the Nong Prue police station to be calmed and placed in custody. Tests confirmed the presence of methamphetamine in his system. Wirachai admitted to having consumed remnants of ya ba and believing he was being pursued by the police, leading him to hide in the shop before taking the employee hostage.
« I saw this man walking with a shifty look and his hand constantly in his pocket. He looked like a drug user. I made him leave the school grounds and called the pupils inside to protect them. »
The victim recounted that the man had entered the shop looking frightened, claiming only to want to hide from the police. He then seized a cutter and scissors to threaten her.
Source : The pattaya news