Police rescued a woman held hostage by a homeless man armed with a hand grenade in Khon Kaen on Thursday morning, after shooting him in the shoulder, ending a three-hour drama.
The drama began around 9.30am when a man entered a motorcycle repair shop. He was armed with a hand grenade and he took the shop owner's wife hostage.
The hostage, Suwan Tasaengsa, 52, said she just returned to the shop an saw many police on the road. Then a man ran into the shop. He had a grenade in his hand.
He told people in the shop to stay where they were but they all ran away, leaving her alone with him.The held her by the shirt and told her to sit near him. He did not assault her, she said
Police had earlier on Thursday gone to the community after to complaints about repeated thefts. Residents alleged that a homeless man was responsible.
The officers found the man in the area with his cart.
They searched him and the cart and found a pistol and 10 bullets.
The man then produced a hand grenade, and held it in his hand. The man ran into the motorcycle repair shop where he took the owner's wife hostage, police said.
When the time was deemed right, the woman was signalled to run away, and SWAT police fired shots at the hostage-taker.
The man was hit in the left shoulder. He fell down and the officers moved in to take the grenade from his hand. He was taken to hospital.
