The Pathum Thani police chief ordered a full mobilization of officers in Lat Lum Kaeo to track down a suspect carrying a firearm who is evading arrest. Checkpoints were set up to intercept and increase pressure for the suspect to surrender. Authorities confirmed there have been no reports of threats inside schools.
At 00:30 on 18 Feb 2026, Pol. Maj. Gen. Peeraphol Chotiksethien, Commander of Pathum Thani Provincial Police, visited Lat Lum Kaeo Police Station to follow up and obtain details regarding circulated reports of a man armed with a gun allegedly storming a school. This led 13 schools in Lat Lum Kaeo district to close on 18 Feb 2026 until the situation stabilizes.
He summoned Pol. Col. Dusadee Hiranrat, Chief of Lat Lum Kaeo Police Station; Pol. Col. Rit Kamchumphon, Chief of Investigation Division of Pathum Thani Provincial Police; Pol. Lt. Col. Natthaphon Udnoi, an investigator; along with investigative officers from Pathum Thani and Lat Lum Kaeo Police, as well as patrol officers, to hold a meeting to plan the manhunt for the suspect under a warrant.
After a meeting lasting more than an hour, Pol. Maj. Gen. PeerapholChotiksethienCommander of Pathum Thani Provincial Police, revealed that the incident stems from an event around 23:00 on 16 Feb 2026, when Mr. Nopparat Jeento, 31, from Lat Lum Kaeo district, drove a covered pickup truck registered in Bangkok and shot at a rescue vehicle on the motorway. The cause was that Mr. Nopparat had parked in a dangerous spot, and rescue workers approached to warn him.
Mr. Nopparat claimed he had parked there because he had argued with his girlfriend and was upset at the rescue workers for warning him, which made him angry. He then chased the rescue vehicle and fired two shots at it. Afterward, he abandoned his vehicle by the roadside and fled into the forest. Police later found 51 bags of kratom leaves weighing 500 kilograms in the truck bed.
Around 02:00 on 17 Feb 2026, Mr. Nopparat returned to his home where he lived with his parents in Khlong Phra Udom subdistrict, Lat Lum Kaeo district, Pathum Thani. He then abducted his father-in-law, who lived across the canal, and forced him into a green Isuzu pickup truck registered in Bangkok.
At approximately 04:00, the father-in-law took advantage of a moment when the vehicle slowed down while ascending a bridge in Bang Pa-in district, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province, opened the door, jumped out, and sought help from local residents before reporting to the police.
By 08:00 on 17 Feb 2026, investigative officers from Lat Lum Kaeo Police Station searched Mr. Nopparat's home. At that time, he jumped out of a window and fled through the back of the house. Authorities have not yet apprehended the suspect.
The search of the house uncovered seven firearms. Four were registered with proper ownership, while three, although registered, were owned by others. Authorities seized these for further investigation and charged Mr. Nopparat's father with possession of firearms. Police have arranged for the safety of the parents, relatives, and young children residing at the home of Mr. Nopparat's wife.
Pol. Maj. Gen. Peeraphol also addressed reports of the armed suspect at schools, stating that authorities have no confirmed information about anyone carrying a gun inside any school, as no such reports have been received. Only complaints related to the suspect’s threatening behavior have been filed.
Nevertheless, authorities are not complacent and have instructed all police units to intensify investigations and track the suspect, who is considered dangerous due to carrying firearms. Forces from all departments, including local administration and community leaders in Lat Lum Kaeo district, have been coordinated to distribute the suspect’s photo to aid capture efforts.
Efforts are underway to locate the suspect at friends' and relatives' homes in Pathum Thani and other provinces. Police urge the suspect to surrender voluntarily, as officers have been deployed throughout the area to apprehend him.
