Police rescued a toy shop employee in Pattaya after he was taken hostage yesterday, September 29, after an armed man allegedly held her at knifepoint for about an hour inside a shop in Nong Prue.
Nong Prue Police Station received the report at around 4.36pm and dispatched patrol and investigation officers to the shop in Bang Lamung district, Chon Buri, together with district officials and Sawang Boriboon rescue workers.
Inside, officers found a 32 year old Thai man holding a pair of scissors in one hand and a utility knife in the other while threatening the 31 year old employee behind the counter.
Police cleared bystanders from the immediate area and attempted to negotiate with the man by telephone, but he did not release the woman. Officers eventually entered using a spare key and detained him while he was distracted.
Early reports noted that the standoff lasted about one hour, with the arrest taking place at around 5.30pm. The employee was rescued with a minor cut to her left palm.
The woman told reporters that she had been working inside the shop when the man entered, appearing frightened and repeatedly looking around.
According to her account, he locked the front door before taking the knife and scissors and threatening her. She managed to secretly call the shop owner and asked them to check the shop’s CCTV cameras.
The owner saw what was happening through the camera system and alerted police, leading officers to the scene.
Reports said the man had been seen behaving unusually in the surrounding area before entering the toy shop, including walking around a nearby convenience store.
Police later said a drug test returned a positive result. Pattaya Mail reported that the suspect admitted taking methamphetamine before becoming paranoid and believing police were pursuing him.
The man was taken to Nong Prue Police Station for further questioning and legal proceedings. Police had not announced specific charges.
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The story Drug suspect holds toy shop worker hostage in Pattaya as seen on Thaiger News.
