A determined thief discovered the hard means that toy weapons aren’t very effective in finishing up armed robberies, especially when the meant victim is packing actual heat. At 12:15 am on July eleven, Pol Lt Col Prayong Khotsakha, an Inspector with Udon Thani’s Muang District Police, acquired a report of an attempted theft at a small gas station in Tambon Nakham, about 17 kilometers out of city along the road from Udon Thani to Sakhon Nakhon. Arriving at Mere with fellow officers, he found a critically-injured man lying beneath a dark blue Honda motorbike, with a single .22 caliber bullet wound to the left facet of his chest. Beside him on the road was a reproduction gun. Later identified as 29-year-old Wiwat Santiwattanakul. whose first name means “Peace” and whose surname means “Clan of the Peaceful and Prosperous”, the injured man was rushed to Udon Thani Central Hospital. The gas station proprietor, 59-year-old Somchai Thongnarong, informed police that considered one of his pump attendants, 25-year-old Phichit Channarong, had additionally been shot within the robbery attempt and had been rushed to hospital earlier. K. Somchai mentioned he closed up the two-pump station as usual that night at 10 pm, turning out the lights and retiring contained in the workplace together with his spouse. Sleeping on a cot exterior, in entrance of the pumps, was K. Pichit – presumably to look at over the pumps or service any late-night motorists who desperately want gas after the official closing time. He had with him a shoulder bag. K. Somchai recounted, “I was awoken abruptly by the sound of Phichit screaming, ‘Help! It’s a robbery!’” Sliding open the window of the office, K. Somchai saw his trusty employee grappling with the robber, the pair spinning in circles, each trying to get management of the shoulder bag. Nearby on a bike sat two more thugs, armed with knives and watching the proceedings. “As soon as they noticed me by way of the window, they raised their knives and began towards me. But they stopped in their tracks after I let off a warning shot,” he mentioned. But the warning shot didn’t deter the third thief from making an attempt to steal the shoulder bag, and his struggle with K. Phichit continued. “That’s once I took purpose and fired. But my shot hit K. Pichit within the arm and he fell to the ground. “After that, the assailant pulled out his personal gun and educated his sights on me. But I fired first, hitting him in the chest,” he mentioned. They say there is honor amongst thieves, however on this evening it was apparently in brief supply. Rather than assist their wounded comrade, the 2 knife-wielding accomplices jumped on their motorcycle and sped off. Wiwat, the person of peace, tried to do the same. Despite having a bullet lodged in his chest, he received on his motorbike, cash bag lastly in his possession, and started to drive off. He didn’t get far, nonetheless, before losing his stability and falling to the road. K. Somchai, who had been operating the station for many years, stated he bought the gun after he was robbed of 5,000 baht in cash and a cell phone during a similar attack in June 2003. He had already used the weapon to fend o