High on Methamphetamine, Man Shoots Police Officer During Arrest

Police responded at 2 p.m. on September 3 to a residence in Sala Daeng subdistrict, Bang Nam Priao district, Chachoengsao province, after the man's 63-year-old father reported his son was in a deranged state and making disturbing noises. Officers found the 33-year-old barricaded in a room, attempting to punch holes in the plasterboard walls with an iron rod. Assessing the danger of escalation, police requested permission from the father to enter and restrain him.

When police forced the door, the man jumped through a louvered window at the back of the room and ran toward a water tank behind the house. Officers pursued him outside. As he stumbled on a rope, Sergeant Warathorn Sukbamrungsilp, the squad leader, moved to restrain him. The man then wrestled away Sukbamrungsilp's 9mm pistol and fired three shots. One round struck the officer's body armor and another hit his left shoulder. Sukbamrungsilp was rushed to Kasemrat Hospital before a second team of officers apprehended the suspect.

During initial questioning, the man remained intoxicated and gave only fragmented answers, appearing tearful. He claimed he ran because he was unhappy about police intervention and tried to break down the door. His father revealed the man had been arrested on August 26 for drug possession, found with two methamphetamine pills, and was bailed out on August 27. Since returning home, his condition worsened, with sleepless nights and constant agitation. An argument erupted on the morning of September 3, escalating by noon, prompting the father to call police. The father stated he will no longer post bail and wants his son to face legal proceedings and treatment. Police Commissioner Krienkai Boonsom visited the injured officer at Kasemrat Hospital and arranged his transfer to Police Hospital.