Police charged a man who, while under the influence of drugs, threatened his Laotian wife and son with a knife and held them hostage. A background check revealed he had overstayed his visa and tested positive for drugs. He confessed to using methamphetamine earlier that morning.
On 24 Oct 2016, a man in a drug-induced frenzy held his son and wife hostage with a knife under the Yommarat expressway bridge in Phaya Thai district. Police from Metropolitan Police Division 1, Phaya Thai station, surrounded the area and negotiated for over 30 minutes, but the suspect resisted and remained agitated. Officers then placed all three behind a police vehicle and continued negotiations without success.
At 10:50 a.m., Pol Maj Gen Worachak Pisitbanakorn, commander of Metropolitan Police Division 1 and incident commander, seized a moment when the suspect sat behind a police pickup truck holding a knife to his son's neck with his right hand and restraining his wife with his left.
Pol Maj Gen Worachak took the opportunity when the suspect was distracted to grab the knife from his son's neck. Nearby officers then safely separated and rescued the wife and son. Initial medical aid showed the 5-year-old boy had a 1–5 cm knife wound on his neck, and the wife had a laceration and bleeding behind her left ear; both received first aid on site.
Pol Maj Gen Worachak said he was not fully aware of the incident details but responded upon learning of a man acting violently. As an Arintaraj unit graduate, he understood the situation and focused on negotiation to calm the suspect. When the moment arose, he intervened to end the crisis.
A urine drug test of the suspect revealed clear presence of illegal substances. During detailed questioning, the suspect admitted to using methamphetamine earlier that morning, which caused his hallucinations and violent behavior.
Authorities then took the suspect's wife and son to Phaya Thai police station for further questioning. It was learned that the family had spent the previous night sleeping near Pathum Wararam Temple before the incident occurred.
Police later returned the wife to Pathum Wararam Temple to collect passports and identity documents needed to verify the suspect's identity. This was required before sending him to Vachira Hospital for detailed blood testing, per the hospital’s strict identification policies. The suspect was escorted to the hospital for the drug test following legal procedures.
Initially, Phaya Thai police investigators gathered evidence, prepared an arrest report, and charged the suspect with four serious offenses: 1) unlawful detention with a weapon causing bodily or psychological harm, 2) illegal use of a Schedule 1 drug (methamphetamine), 3) overstaying in the kingdom beyond authorized permission, and 4) carrying a knife in a public area without lawful reason.
Currently, the case awaits official confirmation of drug test results from Vachira Hospital. Once completed, police will file additional charges and inform the suspect of his legal rights before transferring him to prosecution. Investigators are also expediting interviews with the mother and child victims to provide protection and support.