PATTAYA, THAILAND – A 32-year-old man in Soi Korpai allegedly tried to set fire to his fourth-floor apartment and repeatedly attempted suicide after a relationship dispute and suspected drug use.
Police responded to suicide threat and fire alarm
Officers from the Pattaya City Police Station, led by Police Lieutenant Colonel Sonthaya Khonthap, were called to a residential building after residents reported an extremely aggressive man who threatened suicide and tried to ignite his apartment. At the scene, police and rescue workers found the 32-year-old, identified only as “Mr. V” for privacy reasons, screaming and armed with a knife. He had locked himself in his fourth-floor unit and attempted to set curtains on fire using a gas cylinder.
When the gas ran out, he threw the cylinder from the balcony and then tried to hang himself with a rope.
Escape over balcony and damage in neighboring shop
Fearing for the man’s life, officers and local residents forced their way into the apartment. The 32-year-old threatened the police with the knife, climbed onto the fourth-floor balcony and moved along the exterior ledges of the building. From the outside, he reached a motorcycle parts shop on the same floor and destroyed several items inside.
Witnesses also reported that he at times behaved as if he wanted to jump from the balconies. Using police spotlights, officers eventually forced him back into the building, where they overpowered and arrested him shortly afterward.
Injuries, hospital treatment and drug admission
The man suffered numerous cuts from broken glass and was bleeding heavily. He received first aid on site before being taken to a hospital, where a drug test was ordered among other examinations. He told police that he had argued with his girlfriend in the morning and that she had left him, which had put him under severe pressure.
“I injured my neck with glass shards, but not deeply because I did not dare to hurt her, and then I took two methamphetamine tablets and lost control,”
said Mr. V, the 32-year-old suspect.
Taxi driver confirms dispute and arson attempt
Motorcycle taxi driver Kiatisak Yodsanga, 30, who intervened and filmed parts of the incident, confirmed that the couple had been involved in a heated argument earlier in the day. In the evening, the man had become increasingly violent, tried to set the apartment on fire and shouted loudly, prompting residents to alert the police.
“They had argued heavily before, and later he tried to burn the room and was screaming so much that people called the police,”
said Kiatisak Yodsanga, motorcycle taxi driver.
Charges over drugs and property damage
Pattaya police initially charged the man with possession of a Category 1 narcotic, methamphetamine. Further charges were expected once the drug test results and assessments of the damage in the apartment and the motorcycle parts shop were completed.
The man remained under medical treatment and in the custody of authorities for additional examinations.