Three Thai highschool boys were arrested over the weekend for, last month, attempting to rob two girls of their motorbike in the middle of the traffic, which they said were inspired by the Grand Theft Auto (GTA) video games.
On Saturday, Talad Plu police detained three suspects, aged 16-17, for charges of robbery using a weapon and a using a vehicle to facilitate a crime, which occurred on Wutthakat Road early on the morning of Sept. 24.
At the time of the incident, the 18-year-old victim, Natcha Ketboonngam, was driving her motorbike to a convenience store, with another female friend riding pillion, when three boys riding on one Honda motorcycle, covered in full-face helmets, allegedly started chasing after them, reported Amarin TV.
In CCTV footage, the perpetrators can be seen accelerating their vehicle to pass the victims, then parking in front of them to block their way. After Natcha was forced to stop, she pulls the key from the ignition and runs away.
Meanwhile, one of the juveniles hops down from the back of the motorbike and pulls a two-foot blade from his waistband to threaten the other female left standing at the scene of the crime, according to Bangkok Biz News.
After a few seconds, however, she was allowed to walk away as the armed man (unable to start the engine without the key) stole the motorbike by dragging it away manually.
It took investigators until Saturday to track down the three suspects.
Interrogations reveal the juveniles to be Mathayom 4 and 5 students (10th and 11th grade) at an unidentified school on Ekkachai Road. Prior to this, they had no criminal history nor have used any drugs.
On the night of the robbery, the bright idea reportedly dawned on the gang whilst getting drunk at one of the perpetrator’s houses.
The juveniles credit their inspiration to GTA, a popular action-adventure video game series, where players commit crimes to rise through the ranks of the criminal underworld.
The three have been sent to Bangkok’s Youth Court to be prosecuted.
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