PATHUM THANI, THAILAND – A man wanted over multiple armed attacks surrendered to police in Pathum Thani after a two-day manhunt that had prompted precautionary school closures.
Suspect Gives Himself Up After Intense Search
The 30-year-old Noparat Jeento walked into the Provincial Police office in Pathum Thani at around 4 p.m. on Wednesday, after first contacting Pol Lt Gen Khamronwit Thoopkrajang, chairman of the Provincial Administration Organisation. Police had been searching for him for more than two days and believed he had been hiding in Lat Lum Kaeo district in Pathum Thani province.
Public Alarm and Precautionary School Closures
Investigators said at a subsequent press conference that the suspect decided to surrender after learning that schools had been closed for safety reasons. He insisted he had never planned an attack on any educational facility, saying,
“I never intended to storm any school or open fire there,”
said Noparat, who added that he had fled out of fear and inner turmoil.
Family Dispute and Gunfire on Rescue Vehicle
According to Pol Col Dusadee Hiranrat, head of the local police station, the events began on Sunday when the Lat Lum Kaeo resident assaulted his wife and later fired shots at a motorway rescue vehicle in Chon Buri province. The shooting occurred after rescue workers found his pickup truck parked in a dangerous position on Motorway 7 and asked him to move it.
Flight, Alleged Kidnapping and Kratom Discovery
Rescue workers said they had seen the driver arguing with his wife and initially withdrew, before he allegedly chased their vehicle, shot at its tyres and then drove off with his wife. Police later found sacks of kratom leaves in the pickup, and the wife subsequently filed an assault complaint. Pol Col Dusadee said Noparat then allegedly forced his father-in-law at gunpoint into the pickup to compel a meeting with his wife, whom he blamed for the complaint, but the older man escaped unharmed in Bang Pa-in district of Ayutthaya province and reported the abandoned vehicle.
Weapons Seized and Claims of Self-Defence
Officers searching the suspect’s house in Lat Lum Kaeo seized seven firearms, according to Pol Col Dusadee. Noparat told reporters that the gun he had carried on Wednesday was legally registered, bought for self-defence and had never previously been used in a crime.
Drugs, Jealousy and Protection for Pupils
He admitted smoking cannabis before the argument with his wife and said he had been overwhelmed by jealousy during the incident. During the manhunt, Patarawan Patarabowornput, deputy secretary-general of the Office of the Basic Education Commission, ordered 20 schools in Lat Lum Kaeo to close as a precaution and deployed security personnel to protect students, teachers and staff.