BANGKOK – An alleged gunman wanted for firing at an emergency vehicle and attacking his wife in Chon Buri surrendered to police Wednesday afternoon in Pathum Thani. Earlier, safety fears had prompted school closures in the area.
Noparat Jeento, 30, turned himself in at the Pathum Thani Provincial Police Office around 4 p.m. He first contacted Pol Lt Gen Khamronwit Thoopkrajang, chairman of the Provincial Administration Organisation, to arrange talks before giving up.
Authorities had searched for him for more than two days. Investigators believed he had been the gunman had been hiding in the Lat Lum Kaeo district, north of Bangkok.
After police brought him before reporters, Mr. Noparat said he chose to surrender after hearing that schools had shut down. He apologized and said he never planned to enter or shoot at any school, despite reports suggesting otherwise. He said he ran because he felt scared and overwhelmed.
He also said he wanted the situation to end, adding that he has children, too.
According to Pol Col Dusadee Hiranrat, chief of the local police station, the case started on Sunday. Investigators said Mr. Noparat assaulted his wife and later fired shots at a motorway rescue truck in Chon Buri, then fled to Pathum Thani.
Police said the rescue team had found the gunman’s truck parked in a dangerous spot on Motorway 7 and told him to move it. Rescuers noticed he was arguing with his wife, so they left. Soon after, authorities said he chased the rescue truck, fired gunshots at its tires, and drove off with his wife.
At the motorway scene, officers found sacks of kratom leaves inside the truck. Later, his wife escaped and filed an assault complaint with Chon Buri police.
Pol Col Dusadee said the suspect then took his father-in-law at gunpoint, forced him into a pickup truck, and called his wife to set up a meeting. Police said he was angry because she had reported him.
The father-in-law got away safely in the Bang Pa-in district of Ayutthaya. Officers later found the pickup abandoned there, and the father-in-law filed a complaint with Lat Lum Kaeo police.
When police searched Mr. Noparat’s home in Lat Lum Kaeo, they found seven firearms, Pol Col Dusadee said.
At the briefing, Mr. Noparat said the gun he had with himon Wednesday was legally registered and bought for self-defense. He also said it had never been used in a crime before.
He admitted he smoked cannabis before the argument with his wife and said jealousy drove his actions.
During the manhunt, officials closed 20 schools in Lat Lum Kaeo as a precaution, said Patarawan Patarabowornput, deputy secretary-general of the Office of the Basic Education Commission. She added that security teams were sent to protect students, teachers, and staff.
