An intense situation unfolded in Pattaya as police surrounded an angry man brandishing a gun and threatening a motorcycle taxi driver for nearly four hours. During negotiations, the suspect requested a beer to calm down but ultimately refused to surrender and attempted to take his own life. It was revealed the man was stressed due to an outstanding arrest warrant for attempted murder from 2014.
On the evening of September 28, 2024, police led by Lt. Col. Thananon Athisan took action after spotting a suspicious car connected to an earlier threatening incident involving a motorcycle taxi driver named Patipol Praiprat, 20 years old. The driver, identified as Niruttit Yamphuang, 39, became aggressive after Patipol mistakenly approached his vehicle, thinking he was a tourist asking for directions. Niruttit pulled a firearm, leading Patipol to report the matter to local authorities.
As police approached the scene, Niruttit fled but was later found hiding inside a dark corner holding his gun. Fearing for public safety, officers cordoned off a 200-meter radius from the area. Negotiations began via text messaging, during which Niruttit confessed to the prior confrontation but expressed his distress over the arrest warrant hanging over him.
At around 10:25 PM, police chief Nawin Thirawat chose to engage Niruttit directly to de-escalate the situation. After about 20 minutes of conversation, Niruttit showed signs of calming but unexpectedly shot himself in the head while police were distracted, resulting in serious injuries. He was rushed to a local hospital for treatment.
Authorities later discovered the firearm used was a modified blank gun turned into a real .32 caliber weapon. A colleague of Niruttit expressed that he never intended to harm anyone but felt overwhelmed by his legal troubles and fears of job loss.
This article was rewritten from a Thairath’s news article.
