Police Commander Disarms Drugged Lao Man Holding Family Hostage
Bangkok police rescued a Lao woman and her 5-year-old son after the husband, high on drugs, held them at knifepoint under a bridge on Phetchaburi Road. Metropolitan Police Division 1 deputy chief Pol.Lt.Col. Warasak Pitisapbannakorn personally disarmed the man, who had stabbed the boy's neck and cut the wife's ear. The family, unable to afford travel back to Laos, had argued before the husband stole a knife and threatened them. He was arrested and sent for drug testing.
At 10:50 a.m., Pol.Lt.Col. Warasak Pitisapbannakorn, deputy chief of Metropolitan Police Division 1, acting as incident commander, seized the moment when the suspect was sitting in the back of a police pickup truck. The man was holding a knife to his son's throat with his right hand while clutching his wife with his left. Pol.Lt.Col. Warasak lunged forward, grabbed the knife from the child's neck, and surrounding officers moved in to separate the wife and child safely. Both received first aid: the 5-year-old boy had a 1-5 cm knife wound on his neck, and the wife had a bleeding laceration behind her left ear.
The wife said that since morning she, her husband, and their son had discussed returning to Laos but lacked the funds. An argument ensued, triggering her husband — who has a history of drug addiction — into a violent rage. He stole a knife from a nearby shop and threatened them. Negotiators tried to calm him, but he remained agitated until he eventually relaxed, at which point he was taken to Phaya Thai Police Station.
Pol.Lt.Col. Warasak stated he did not know the full details initially but responded when he saw a man in a psychotic episode. Drawing on his experience with the Arintharat special operations unit, he prioritized negotiation to de-escalate the suspect before moving in at the right moment.
Pol.Capt. Thanapon Klinakesorn, superintendent of Phaya Thai Police Station, identified the couple as Lao nationals, both 35, named Noi (husband) and Fai (wife), with a 5-year-old son. They had traveled from Wat Pathum Wanaram to find work, previously staying at Wat Phrommongkhon (Luang Pho Noen) in Din Daeng by day and with relatives at night. Their occupations are unknown. Fai had previously been assaulted by Noi, requiring rescue workers to treat her at the temple, while their son played there under locals' watch.
The suspect will undergo urine testing for drugs before detailed questioning at Phaya Thai Station.
A fruit shop owner said the family of three asked for help and to borrow a phone, which she refused. They asked if she had a knife; she said no. The man then asked for water, so she went behind the house to fetch two bottles. While she was gone, the man entered her home, rummaged through belongings looking for a knife, and emerged in a psychotic state holding the knife to his wife and son's throats. The owner confirmed the knife was not from her shop and does not know where he got it.
