Eye for an eye: Thai rider’s stare-down leads to road rage stabbing

A Thai man confessed to stabbing another man on a road in Nonthaburi province, near Bangkok, in a fit of anger after the victim allegedly stared at him while they were riding motorcycles near each other.

The victim’s girlfriend and brother filed a complaint with Pak Kret Police Station on the morning of Wednesday, October 2, after the victim, 26 year old Panuyan, was stabbed three times in his body and shoulder. The attack left Panuyan with a serious injury to his liver, and he remains in critical condition at a hospital.

Police reviewed security camera footage from the scene, near Rama IV Bridge, heading towards Pak Kret Intersection. Panuyan, who was wearing a black long-sleeve shirt, was seen riding his motorcycle as usual when the attacker, dressed in a light blue jacket, approached him.

The two were seen engaging in an argument, and the attacker pointed towards the roadside, seemingly asking Panuyan to stop and resolve the issue. According to police, they pulled over, and the attacker immediately stabbed Panuyan before fleeing.

Officers later identified the attacker as 26 year old Tanate, who was arrested that evening in Soi Salak Nue Temple in the Pak Kret district of Nonthaburi. The knife used in the crime was found in his possession, and his jacket still bore bloodstains from the brutal attack.

Tanate claimed that he did not know Panuyan personally and that this was their first encounter, which occurred when Panuyan allegedly stared at him.

According to his criminal record, Tanate was legally punished in 2015 for physically assaulting another person, causing severe injury, and carrying a knife in a public place without a valid reason.

In this recent case, Tanate has been charged with attempted murder. The penalty for attempted murder is half of that for intentional murder, as outlined under Section 288 of the Criminal Law, which carries the death penalty, life imprisonment, or imprisonment for 15 to 20 years.

Channel 7 reported that the police would summon Panuyan’s girlfriend for questioning. They suspect she may have some connection to the motive behind the stabbing, although details of the police’s suspicions were not revealed.