Elderly Man Charged with Assault After Stabbing Teen
An 78-year-old man from Khon Kaen has been charged with assault after stabbing a 13-year-old boy with a knife, reportedly for simply walking in front of his house. The incident occurred when the teenager, known as Gus, was on his way to visit a friend named Panwad, an 18-year-old who lived in the same area.
According to reports, Gus was walking past Lop’s house when the elderly man confronted him and threatened him with a 30cm knife that was still in its sheath. Lop struck Gus with the sheathed knife, causing the boy to retreat into Panwad’s house. However, Lop followed him inside, pulled the knife out, and slashed the back of Gus’s neck, leading to heavy bleeding and the boy falling to the ground.
Panwad, who had previously mentioned that Gus often came over to hang out, noted that Lop would always be nearby with a slingshot, shooting at Gus whenever he arrived. On the day of the attack, Lop also carried a slingshot, which was later seen in videos that went viral online. These videos showed Lop holding the knife and slingshot, and they were captured by a friend of Panwad who started filming the incident to alert the police.
After the attack, Lop put the knife away and kicked the person who was recording the event. The wound on Gus’s neck was 3cm deep, and he required immediate medical attention. Lop was arrested the following day and charged with assault causing injury, armed trespass with intent to cause harm, and carrying a weapon in public without reasonable cause. He was remanded to Khon Kaen provincial court for further legal action.
Gus lives with his grandmother, Kaenchon, 57, who explained that Lop was known in the community for reacting aggressively to any children passing by his house. Lop would often shoot at them with a slingshot, speak rudely, and appeared to have a strong dislike for children. As a result, Gus’s mother has decided to move him to live with her in Kalasin to ensure their safety.
A Trail Runner's Final Journey
In a separate incident, a trail runner from Chon Buri, identified only as J, 31, was found dead in the forest near Doi Suthep in Chiang Mai. His body was discovered by a local forager who was searching for mushrooms in the deep forest behind Wat Phra That Doi Suthep.
J was dressed in trail running gear—black long pants and a grey, long-sleeved shirt—and was found about 700 meters off the trail between Wat Doi Suthep, Sai Yoi Waterfall, and Ban Khun Chang Khian. Police recovered a black backpack containing clothes, hiking equipment, shoes, and an unopened water bottle, but not his phone, which he left in Bangkok during the first leg of his journey.
Initial investigations suggested that J had been dead for more than a week. Local dogs had been howling strangely days before the body was found, which villagers believed was a sign of death. A village head, Jittraporn Kanthi, posted a call on social media seeking the deceased man’s relatives, as no ID was found on the body.
J’s wife contacted her, confirming that her husband had disappeared from Chon Buri. She recognized the backpack as one she had bought for him. According to her, they had ended their relationship on June 12, and J may have decided to end his life by pursuing his passion for trail running and hiking.
Police pieced together J’s last movements, revealing that he traveled from Chon Buri to Bangkok, where he abandoned his car, phone, and personal documents. He then took a train to Chiang Mai, visited the city police, and borrowed a lawyer’s phone to call his wife, informing her that he could now be reported missing.
J suffered from chronic asthma, and it is believed that the dense vegetation, steep terrain, and rainy-season conditions may have triggered an asthma attack while he was deep in the forest. The cause of death is pending the results of an autopsy.
Drunken Men Found Sleeping on the Road
In Chiang Rai, a group of men were found sleeping on the side of the road, prompting concerns among motorists who initially thought they might have witnessed a mass accident or worse. Upon closer inspection, police discovered that the men were simply drunk and had fallen asleep.
Three men were found sleeping, including one who was bare-chested and lying spread-eagled on the road. His two friends were also asleep in the back of a pickup truck nearby. An open bottle of whisky was found nearby, which helped confirm that the men were not victims of a crime.
The driver of the truck had barely managed to pull over before succumbing to fatigue. When patrol officers arrived, they woke the men up, spoke to them briefly, and advised them to go home and rest properly. The incident quickly went viral on social media, with many netizens expressing amusement and confusion at the unusual scene.
Comments ranged from humor to concern, with some joking about the men’s extreme state of sleep and others suggesting they might face a scolding from their wives upon returning home. The post received over 1,700 likes within four hours, highlighting the widespread interest in the bizarre yet harmless situation.