Cat’s out of the bag: Tomboy’s stolen car ride ends in Bangkok arrest (video)
Police swooped in yesterday to arrest a Thai tomboy struggling with mental health issues in a car park at an apartment in the Lat Phrao district of Bangkok after she stole a car, complete with a pet cat inside, from a shopping mall in the Ratchada area.
Footage of security guards desperately trying to stop the black Honda HRV from speeding out of the car park has gone viral on Thai social media. In a dramatic twist, the car crashed into a traffic barrier but still managed to make a hasty getaway.
One of the security guards told Channel 3 that he heard a woman scream for help at around 2pm yesterday, October 2. The woman shouted that her car was stolen. After seeing the black vehicle moving out of the parking area, he and other colleagues rushed to block the thief with traffic barriers but they were unsuccessful.
The guard said the thief crashed into the barriers and fled the scene. The car’s broken front bumper was left behind. The car’s owner was more concerned about her cat, Morty, who was inside the stolen vehicle.
The car theft was reported to officers at Huay Kwang Police Station, who checked security cameras along the road outside the mall to track down the thief. The suspect was later identified as 39 year old Thai woman Nattakan, who displayed masculine traits and was dressed in unfeminine clothing.
After an eight-hour operation, police managed to arrest the tomboy thief in a car park at an apartment on Soi Nakniwas 16 in the Lat Phrao district. Morty was found frightened and hiding under the car seat.
Nattakan was taken to the police station for questioning but she provided confusing information to investigating officers. Nattakan’s mother and older sister later arrived at the police station, claiming that she had a mental illness and had not received treatment.
According to the family, Nattakan fled from her home in Thanyaburi district, Pathum Thani province, near Bangkok, three days before committing the crime.
The police are unable to press charges against Nattakan pending a medical examination and the opinions of the medical team regarding her mental health.
