Thai woman stabbed in shopping mall car park near Bangkok
Police arrested a Thai man yesterday after he stabbed a Thai woman and attempted to rob her in a car park inside the Future Park Rangsit shopping mall in Pathum Thani province near Bangkok.
Pratunam Chulalongkorn Police Station officers and rescuers rushed to the second floor of the Future Park Rangsit car park building after receiving an alert of the attempted theft and stabbing at around 6pm, yesterday, May 6. They found the injured victim, 36 year old Jutharat Panitipong, near her car, a bronze Mercedes Benz SUV.
Jutharat sustained a stab wound to her left cheek and was receiving first aid from the mall’s security guard when help arrived. Rescuers transported her to Paolo Rangsit Hospital for further treatment.
While being transported to the hospital, Jutharat recounted the incident to police and rescuers. She revealed that she was about to enter her car when the male suspect, later identified as 45 year old Kantinan Kunlasriroj, approached her. Kantinan told her to stay quiet and refrain from fighting back because he had a knife.
Kantinan told Jutharat to drive out of the shopping mall and went to sit in the passenger seat. Noticing two men smoking cigarettes nearby, Jutharat took a chance and shouted for help.
Kantinan hurriedly approached and attempted to stab her in the stomach but her jeans thwarted the attack. Subsequently, he pushed her into the car and declared his intention to drive.
As Jutharat was pushed into the vehicle, her limbs struck the steering wheel, inadvertently sounding the horn, startling the assailant. Seizing this moment, Jutharat repeatedly honked the horn, signalling for help from nearby individuals, prompting the attacker to stab her in the face before fleeing the scene.
Refusing to let Kantinan escape, Jutharat pursued him, grabbing onto his shirt. In a bid to snatch her handbag, he turned but she successfully reclaimed it. Despite her efforts, Jutharat recounted that the attacker managed to elude capture and flee.
Police reviewed security camera footage from the car park and successfully identified the suspect. They arrested Kantinan at his home in the province and took him to the police station for questioning.
Kantinan confessed to the attack and admitted to the attempted robbery. Police are investigating his criminal history.
