PATHUM THANI, THAILAND – A 30-year-old man whose armed flight across three provinces forced dozens of schools to close remained in pre-trial detention from 19 February after a provincial court denied bail.
Search triggered by domestic assault and shots at rescue vehicle
The 30-year-old Noparat “L” Jeento was accused of setting off a chain of violent incidents in Lat Lum Kaeo district, north of Bangkok, that led to school closures and a large-scale police operation. Investigators said he assaulted his wife near Motorway 7 in Chon Buri province and then fired shots at the tyres of a rescue vehicle.
Alleged kidnapping of father-in-law and escape route
After his wife filed a complaint in Chon Buri, the suspect allegedly forced his father-in-law at gunpoint into his pickup truck and fled toward central Thailand. The father-in-law escaped unharmed in Bang Pa-in district in Ayutthaya province and reported the incident at Lat Lum Kaeo police station, where officers later secured the getaway vehicle with a flat tyre in Lat Bua Luang district.
Dozens of schools closed and seven firearms seized
As the search narrowed on Pathum Thani, authorities ordered the temporary closure of numerous schools in Lat Lum Kaeo district, with reports ranging from 17 confirmed institutions to as many as 40 affected. During a search of his home, officers found seven firearms, and reports of an alleged threat against students prompted tighter protection of school grounds and heightened alert among parents and teachers.
Two-day manhunt ends in negotiated surrender
Police and other forces searched for more than 48 hours north of Bangkok before the fugitive surrendered on the afternoon of 18 February at the Pathum Thani provincial police headquarters. He had earlier contacted Pol Lt Gen Khamronwit Thoopkrajang and a local village headman, enabling authorities to organise a coordinated handover, while his mother La-or, in tears, said she feared for his life and felt media coverage had been exaggerated.
Suspect’s account: no school attack planned
Before the press, the suspect said he turned himself in after learning of the school closures, stressing that he was a father and had never intended an attack on a school.
“I surrendered after I heard about the school closures – I am a father myself and I did not plan any attack on a school.”
said Noparat “L” Jeento, suspect.
He described the weapon he carried as legally registered and acquired for self-defence, admitted using cannabis before the dispute with his wife and cited jealousy as the trigger for the conflict.
“The gun I carried is legally registered and I bought it for self-defence; I used cannabis before the quarrel with my wife, and jealousy started the conflict.”
said Noparat “L” Jeento, suspect.
Court orders 12-day detention and rejects bail
On 19 February investigators requested initial pre-trial detention using form 51/2569 at the Pathum Thani Provincial Court, which granted a 12-day detention order until 2 March and rejected a bail application. The court cited a wide range of serious allegations, including illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, carrying a weapon in public, coercion at gunpoint, unlawful detention and armed trespass at night, alongside accusations of domestic violence and the risk of evidence tampering.
Crime scene re-enactment and family tensions
As part of his partial confessions, officers took the suspect to a crime scene re-enactment where he admitted physically assaulting his wife after suspecting her of infidelity, while rejecting further allegations about how he treated her. In front of his father-in-law’s house he knelt before crying relatives, apologised and insisted he had not meant to injure the older man but only wanted to persuade him to help arrange a conversation with his wife.
Ongoing probes in three provinces amid heightened security
Police continued investigations in Chon Buri, Pathum Thani and Ayutthaya, coordinating procedures across all involved agencies, while the suspect remained in custody at least until 2 March. The case unfolded during a period of elevated vigilance: after a deadly attack in Hat Yai by a mentally ill gunman using a stolen submachine gun that killed a school principal, security forces maintained heightened readiness nationwide and the latest incident again highlighted how vulnerable public institutions could be to privately owned firearms.