60-Year-Old Arrested for Knife Threat in Road Rage Incident
A 60-year-old scrap collector in Nonthaburi was arrested after a viral video showed him threatening an Indian man with a knife at an ATM following a minor traffic dispute. The suspect, identified as Wanchai, claimed he acted in a moment of anger after the other driver allegedly cut him off without apologizing, and denied being drunk or intending serious harm. He has been charged with carrying a weapon in public without permission.
Police have arrested a hot-tempered elderly man who wielded a knife at an Indian national, claiming he was not drunk but overcome by a fleeting fit of rage and had no intention to cause harm. The victim received a slash to the face but the suspect did not apologize.
The incident stemmed from a viral social media clip showing an elderly man, appearing intoxicated, walking straight toward an Indian man withdrawing cash from an ATM while holding a knife. The assailant struck the victim's helmet once with the blade and hurled insults before getting into a sidecar motorcycle and driving into Soi Pracharat 22.
A witness posted: "The old man wouldn't let it go; he wanted a fight. Just the other day there was a fatal stabbing around here, and today it happens again. Luckily no one died this time. The cause was just these two driving past each other closely — they didn't even collide — but the old man was unsatisfied, turned and shouted loudly. The Indian man didn't respond, just walked to the ATM normally. But the old man wouldn't stop; he parked, grabbed a knife from his storage compartment, and then the scene in the clip happened. He seemed drunk, but the victim is fine, the knife didn't seem very sharp. He was very scared; it's the first time he's been in such a close-quarters incident. It happened near the four-way intersection by Tham Nonth, latest at 1:00 PM."
At 1:00 PM, Pol. Lt. Col. Chayachai Nathonkan, Superintendent of Mueang Nonthaburi Police Station, along with investigators, arrested Mr. Wanchai, 60, a scrap collector, who was the perpetrator in the video clip, along with the evidence: a short knife about 8 inches long. He was charged with carrying a weapon in a village or public way without permission.
During questioning, Mr. Wanchai, 60, stated that at the time of the incident he was not drunk but acted due to a sudden flare of anger because the Indian man cut him off on his motorcycle and did not apologize. He therefore angrily grabbed the knife and walked over to confront him. He insisted he had no intention to harm anyone. He admitted fault and wanted to apologize.
Initially, police charged Mr. Wanchai, the hot-tempered elderly man, and sent him to investigators for further processing under the Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives, Fireworks and Imitation Firearms Act before releasing him.
Later, reporters visited the scene at the entrance of Soi Pracharat 22, Suan Yai Subdistrict, Mueang District, Nonthaburi Province. The incident occurred on the roadside in front of a convenience store, which serves as a daytime parking spot. The specific spot was in front of the ATM where Mr. Wanchai struck the victim's helmet with the knife.
Pol. Sgt. Maj. Siraphop Phromanan, 32, the person who filmed the clip and was present at the scene, revealed that yesterday after finishing work in Bangkok, he took an express boat to the Nonthaburi pier to catch a connecting vehicle home. While waiting for a bus in front of the convenience store adjacent to the entrance of Soi Pracharat 22 at 8:20 PM, he saw the elderly man in the clip driving a sidecar motorcycle in a zigzag manner, about to turn into the soi. At the same moment, the Indian man drove a motorcycle out of the soi. In a split second they came very close but did not collide, causing the elderly man to become displeased and shout insults at the Indian man. However, the Indian man ignored him, parked in front of the convenience store, and the elderly man continued shouting and hurling more abuse.
Finally, while the Indian man was finishing his ATM transaction, the elderly man pulled a knife, got out of the sidecar, and walked straight toward the Indian man holding what looked like a kitchen knife. He struck once, hitting the helmet. The witness was unsure if the blade penetrated. After that, nearby female vendors shouted for him to stop, but the witness did not intervene, fearing the attacker might turn on him instead. Subsequently, both parties got on their vehicles and drove away separately. The witness filmed the clip because he was unsure if the elderly man had a history of such behavior, or if the Indian man wanted to press charges, the clip could serve as evidence, and he was happy to provide it.
