BANGKOK, THAILAND – Two Bangkok residents are begging a well-known charity for help after a savage attack on a skywalk. A Norwegian man allegedly kicked one victim, smashed a phone, and threatened a woman with death.
The horror unfolded around 8.30am on Saturday on the skywalk above the Bang Na intersection. T, 29, was heading to work when a foreign man suddenly screamed behind him and kicked him in the right arm.
Phone shattered, threats fly
The phone flew out of T’s hand. The man picked it up, ripped off the case, and slammed it onto the ground so hard the screen shattered. T suspects the attacker was on drugs — but that’s not confirmed.
T fled to the street and ran into his close friend Y, 28. She walked up to the man and confronted him. His reply was blunt and menacing: He said he was just training, and if he really wanted to hurt T, he would have put a knife to his throat.
I will kill you
Y said the man then looked her straight in the face and said in English: “I will kill you.” When she tried to film the situation with her own phone, he charged at her and shoved her to the ground.
The couple sprinted to a group of motorbike taxi drivers nearby. The Norwegian chased them but stopped when he saw the group. Instead, he crossed the road and caused more chaos in nearby shops, according to the victims.
Charity calls in police
Both victims said they had never seen the man before. There had been no prior disputes with him. T now avoids the skywalk out of fear of meeting him again and uses a motorbike taxi instead.
The Norwegian citizen, identified as Erling, was recognised by the victims. On Sunday they contacted Ekkaphop Luangprasert, founder of the Facebook page “Sai Mai Must Survive”, to ask for legal help and protection.
Manhunt underway
Luangprasert immediately contacted Bang Na police station. He demanded swift action because there is a risk the suspect could leave Thailand before the investigation is complete.
As of Sunday afternoon, police had not announced any arrests or charges. The hunt for the man who threatened a woman with death and attacked two people is ongoing. The suspect’s full name is not known — he is only referred to as “Erling”.