PATTAYA, THAILAND – A 22-year-old British tourist was hospitalized after being stabbed in the thigh inside a convenience store on Jomtien Beach Road, and a 23-year-old Thai man was detained at the scene.
Late-night stabbing in busy tourist strip
Police in Pattaya said officers were alerted at 1:05 a.m. to a serious assault in a shop on Jomtien Beach Road in Chonburi province. Witnesses had called the emergency line shortly after midnight when they noticed the incident and immediately contacted authorities.
Responding officers found British visitor Daniel David Sutton Morris, 22, lying beside store shelves with a wound to his left thigh. Rescue workers provided first aid at the scene before transporting him to a nearby hospital for further treatment.
Rescue response and on-site arrest
Emergency personnel from the Sawang Boriboon Thammasathan Pattaya foundation treated the injured man and took him to hospital, where he was initially reported to have received medical care. No additional details on his condition were released by authorities.
According to police, the alleged attacker, Nattawat Chanthong, 23, had already been overpowered by people inside the store. Bystanders kept the situation under control until officers arrived and arrested the suspect without resistance.
Suspect alleges dispute over illegal drugs
During an initial interview, the suspect told police that the British man had repeatedly asked him to obtain ketamine, which he said he refused to do because the drug is illegal.
“He repeatedly asked me to get him ketamine, and I refused, pointing out that the drug is illegal,”
said Nattawat Chanthong, suspect.
He claimed he had made it clear several times that he would not be involved in such activities. The Thai man further alleged that a quarrel then broke out during which he was punched and broke a tooth, a version investigators said they were still examining.
Knives seized from shop trash bin
Officers recovered two knives from a trash container inside the store, including a fruit knife and a kitchen knife. Investigators said the suspect was believed to have disposed of the weapons there, and both items were seized for forensic examination.
The detained man told police he had followed the Briton and continued the confrontation inside the shop. However, police stated they were not fully convinced by this account and would compare his statement with witness testimonies.
Investigators await victim interview
Investigators said they planned to question the injured tourist once his condition improved enough to allow a detailed statement.
“We will interview the victim as soon as his health allows, so we can clarify crucial details of the incident and check the differing accounts,”
said a Pattaya police investigator.
Officers also awaited analysis of surveillance footage from cameras inside the store and in the surrounding area. They hoped the video recordings would help reconstruct the precise sequence of events leading up to the stabbing.
Legal process and ongoing probe
Police confirmed that Nattawat Chanthong remained in custody and would face a regular criminal court process. The exact charges would be determined by prosecutors once the investigation was complete.
Authorities said more information would be released after all witnesses had been interviewed. For now, they declined to give further details on the British tourist’s current health status.
Tourist area safety and official appeals
The incident occurred in a busy tourist district of Pattaya, where local authorities had in recent years introduced various safety measures, including increased police presence and surveillance cameras along main roads. Officials regularly urged visitors to contact police in conflict situations and to stay away from physical confrontations.
They said the outcome of the current investigation would show how the confrontation escalated and what exactly preceded the stabbing on Jomtien Beach Road.