Army Sergeant Hold 7-11 Customers Hostage then Shoots Himself

A Royal Thai Army sergeant who took staff hostage at a 7-Eleven in Chiang Mai then shot himself, allegedly shot three soldiers earlier the same evening.

The army sergeant, who is described in reports as being both frantic and depressed, demanded that staff in the 7-Eleven live-stream the event to LINE. Sergeant Punghong then took a 7-Eleven employee to the front of the store while ranting on the LINE live stream.

Police were quick to the scene where they confronted the soldier, attempting to get him to put down his gun. Instead, Sergeant Punghong shot himself in the head.

According to reports, the army Sergeant is said to have had been in a dispute with fellow solders at an army base in Chiang Mai before opening fire on them.

None of the soldiers were killed. One soldier was shot in the foot, another in the right thigh and another in the thumb. All three army soldiers were taken to Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital for treatment.

The motivation behind the dispute and subsequent hostage-taking is still not clear. Police have suggested that he might have been suffering from depression.

The Royal Thai Army is said to have not commented with an internal investigation underway.

Source: Chiang Mai One