A tense and lengthy standoff in Bangkok's Sai Mai district came to an end on Wednesday afternoon after police commandos shot and wounded a disturbed policeman who had been firing shots from his house. The policeman in question was identified as Police Lieutenant Colonel Kittikan Saengboon, aged 51, and he was subsequently taken to hospital for treatment of his wounds, as confirmed by the Metropolitan Police Bureau (MPB).
The dramatic incident began at noon on Tuesday when Kittikan started firing shots into the air from his house on Soi Jiramakorn. Kittikan, a Special Branch inspector with a history of mental illness, continued to discharge his weapon throughout the night, leading to the evacuation of residents in the neighborhood.
Police attempted to smoke Kittikan out by firing 20 tear gas canisters at the house in the early hours of Wednesday, but were unsuccessful. Negotiations with the gunman continued for almost 20 hours before coming to an abrupt halt when a Special Ops unit lobbed stun grenades into the house. The unit gained access to the second floor of the house at 6.20am, but was unable to reach Kittikan, who had locked himself in a room on the first floor.
The dramatic incident began at noon on Tuesday when Kittikan started firing shots into the air from his house on Soi Jiramakorn. Kittikan, a Special Branch inspector with a history of mental illness, continued to discharge his weapon throughout the night, leading to the evacuation of residents in the neighborhood.
Police attempted to smoke Kittikan out by firing 20 tear gas canisters at the house in the early hours of Wednesday, but were unsuccessful. Negotiations with the gunman continued for almost 20 hours before coming to an abrupt halt when a Special Ops unit lobbed stun grenades into the house. The unit gained access to the second floor of the house at 6.20am, but was unable to reach Kittikan, who had locked himself in a room on the first floor.
At 8.30am, police armed with rubber-bullet guns gathered nearby to infiltrate the house from the side. Negotiators continued to plead with the suspect to put down his weapon and surrender, even playing Thai folk songs on loudspeakers to calm him down. However, a shot fired from the house reportedly hit a Special Ops policeman in the street, though fortunately it deflected off his helmet and left him unharmed.
Finally, at 11.25am, TV reporters at the scene announced that police had gained access to the first floor. Kittikan was then shot and disarmed by police commandos at 12.10pm, according to the MPB. At the time of writing, his condition is unknown. The incident has been reported as a rogue Bangkok cop being shot and disarmed, bringing an end to a 24-hour standoff.
Finally, at 11.25am, TV reporters at the scene announced that police had gained access to the first floor. Kittikan was then shot and disarmed by police commandos at 12.10pm, according to the MPB. At the time of writing, his condition is unknown. The incident has been reported as a rogue Bangkok cop being shot and disarmed, bringing an end to a 24-hour standoff.
Since January 2009, there have been ten significant shooting incidents. One of the incidents occurred in February 2020, where a soldier from the Royal Thai Army killed 29 people and injured 58 others before being shot and killed.
Another incident happened on October 6, 2022, where a former police sergeant named Panya Khamrab, aged 34, killed 36 people and injured ten others through shooting, stabbing, and vehicle-ramming in Nong Bua Lamphu province, Thailand. The majority of the attack happened in a children's nursery situated in the Uthai Sawan subdistrict of the Na Klang district.
This event is the deadliest mass murder carried out by a single person in modern Thai history, with a death toll higher than the Nakhon Ratchasima shootings in 2020
Another incident happened on October 6, 2022, where a former police sergeant named Panya Khamrab, aged 34, killed 36 people and injured ten others through shooting, stabbing, and vehicle-ramming in Nong Bua Lamphu province, Thailand. The majority of the attack happened in a children's nursery situated in the Uthai Sawan subdistrict of the Na Klang district.
This event is the deadliest mass murder carried out by a single person in modern Thai history, with a death toll higher than the Nakhon Ratchasima shootings in 2020
