Retired officer arrested after failed Lop Buri armed robbery attempt
Desperation drives ex-officer to failed robbery
A retired 66 year old military officer has been apprehended following an attempted armed robbery at a convenience store in Lop Buri. The suspect, who held a gun to a staff member, failed to steal any money, citing financial need as his motive.
At 12.05am today, July 10, Lop Buri’s 191 Radio Centre received reports of a male suspect brandishing a firearm to rob a convenience store located at a petrol station along Chomphon Pibulsongkram Road, Mueang Lop Buri district.
The suspect fled the scene in a grey car, heading towards Naresuan Road in Khao Sam Yod subdistrict. Following the report, Police Lieutenant Somnuk Kidtook, deputy superintendent of the suppression division at Lop Buri
Police Station, informed his superiors and dispatched patrol officers to cordon off the area. Upon arrival, they found the petrol station closed, with only the convenience store remaining open.
Store employees, visibly shaken, recounted the incident to the police. One employee was at the front of the store while another was eating in the back.
A security guard was stationed outside, and there were several customers present at the time. Suddenly, a man entered the store wearing a black coat, shorts, and a balaclava.
He brandished a handgun and demanded that the lights be turned off. The employee, panicked, ran to the back of the store, followed by the gunman.
Failed robbery
Customers fled the scene. The suspect attempted to access the cash register but was unsuccessful. The employee and a colleague managed to escape through the back of the store just as the suspect returned to the front and fled in a van.
Meanwhile, police tracked down the suspect’s vehicle, a Nissan van with Lop Buri registration, parked at a junction on Naresuan Road. The suspect, identified as Komsonthi, was found sitting with his wife, who operates a food stall nearby, about one kilometre from the crime scene.
A search of the vehicle revealed a .32 calibre revolver loaded with six bullets. Komsonthi was taken into custody for initial questioning, though his answers were unclear.
The suspect’s wife expressed disbelief at her husband’s actions, stating that he had been with her at the food stall before leaving for the petrol station’s restroom. He returned without any suspicious behaviour until the police arrived.
The store staff later identified Komsonthi as the suspect. His wife mentioned that he suffers from mental health issues and bowel disease, with a doctor’s appointment scheduled for July 23.
Komsonthi, appearing fatigued and largely unresponsive, admitted only to needing money. The arresting officers charged him with carrying an unlicensed firearm in public without justification.
Further charges related to attempted robbery are pending, as Police Lieutenant Waree Sroisa-nga and investigators from Lop Buri Police Station review surveillance footage and gather additional evidence from witnesses, reported KhaoSod.
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