A 17-year-old boy last week allegedly hit a 50-year-old woman over the head with a stool near National Stadium BTS station after accusing her of stealing his watch, slapping and kicking her, and threatening her with a switchblade knife.
The boy, who police gave the alias “Ae” to protect his identity as a minor, and his friend admitted to police that on the evening of July 17, they assaulted Somchit Praingao in front of a bus stop near Krungthai Bank in Pathum Wan after Ae suspected her of pocketing his THB20,000 Armani watch given to him by his late father, Reunglao Chownee reported police saying.
Video footage of part of the attack can be seen above.
Banjong Thonngtim, a tuk-tuk driver who witnessed the melee, said that Ms. Somchit works as a maid at Central World and often walks from there along the road, scavenging for recyclables to earn extra income.
On the evening of July 17, Mr. Banjong saw Mrs. Somchit picking up recyclables on the sidewalk when two youth approached asking about a lost watch. The pair then commenced searching Mrs. Somchit’s bag to no avail.
Mrs. Somchit continued to deny the duo’s claim that she picked the watch up from the sidewalk, so they searched her bag again before walking off. Ae then shouted, “I hope whoever took my watch will face a horrible death,” and decided to search Mrs. Somchit once again.
Ae demanded she return his watch, pointing out to her that it cost THB20,000, but she continued to deny that she had it. Ae then searched her pockets and found his beloved timepiece. He then demanded an explanation and cursed her.
“Why did you lie to me? You said you didn’t take the watch,” Ae said before slapping her in the face, the witness said.
The two youth then both began slapping her, and kicked her – after getting the watch back. Nobody wanted to help because the suspect was wielding a switchblade knife, Mr. Banjong said.
The victim begged Ae to stop assaulting her, to which he responded by grabbing a nearby plastic stool and hitting her across the face.
Ae told police that he hit the woman because he was angry and in a bad mood after earlier having an argument with an Indian tourist, and then losing his watch.
He said they were told that Mrs. Somchit had picked up the watch and asked people in nearby restaurants where she was before finding her on the sidewalk in her maid uniform.
He said he attacked her because she denied having the watch.
According to medical records at the Police Hospital, Mrs. Somchit stayed there for two days with a broken nose and damaged sinuses. She had bruising on her face and required 12 stitches, the report said.
Mrs. Somchit said that she was walking in front of Central World when she picked up the watch, adding that she wanted to return it but didn’t know if it truly belonged to Ae. She also said that she has bad hearing, and doesn’t remember the conversation well – only that she was terrified.
She is not sure if she will file a police report, however police said regardless of that, they have enough to pursue charges against Ae.
