Bangkok —
At 9:45 PM on October 3rd, 2024, Bang Sue police were alerted to an armed suspect breaking into a house in Soi Inthamara 29, Phaya Thai, while evading officers from Tao Poon Station.
The suspect, publicly identified only as Mr. Santi, 38, stands about 180 centimeters tall, with a shaved head and wearing camouflage. He was wanted under a Criminal Court warrant for nighttime burglary, armed trespassing, and property damage.
Tao Poon police had been chasing Santi into Soi Inthamara 29, where he allegedly fired at police before fleeing into a nearby abandoned lot. Surveillance footage captured him scaling a fence before entering a house in Soi Inthamara 29/1.
Inside the house were a woman and her sons. The woman managed to escape, leaving two sons as hostages. Armed with two revolvers, Santi reportedly fired a shot, slightly injuring an officer, according to the police.
By 10:00 PM, special forces had surrounded the area, and authorities warned residents to remain indoors. Santi’s former boxing camp owner, Mr. Sorasak Saetang, arrived to negotiate, revealing that Santi was once a well-known boxer, earning over 100,000 baht per fight.
However, drug addiction led to his involvement in petty crime, resulting in his expulsion from the camp five years ago, said Sorasak.
Further investigation revealed that the house Santi entered belonged to a family of doctors—a mother and two sons, aged 30 and 31. The mother escaped, while the two sons hid inside. Unbeknownst to them, Santi had fled the house unnoticed.
At 12:25 AM, police confirmed the suspect was no longer inside and safely rescued the two sons, according to the police.
According to Pol. Gen. Kittirat Panphet, the suspect escaped through a ventilation shaft and out the back of the house. While Santi did not appear intent on harming anyone, he was solely focused on avoiding arrest.
On October 4th, it was reported that the suspect’s wife was apprehended in Thanyaburi District. Police are actively searching for Santi and remain confident he will be apprehended soon.
This article originally appeared on our sister website The Pattaya News.