Thai police rescue wife from knife-wielding

Police have subdued a man they said was high on drugs when he held his wife at knifepoint for six hours along a major road in Bangkok.

Police have subdued a man they said was high on drugs when he held his wife at knifepoint for six hours along a major road in Bangkok.

HT Image

The standoff in front of a large crowd on Thursday ended when a plainclothes officer waited for knife-wielding Sakdawut Hamsiri to turn away, then fired a high-voltage Taser he had been holding behind his back.

Police rushed to grab the stunned man as the crowd cheered. The woman appeared to have minor cuts but was otherwise unhurt.

Thai police have rarely if ever used stun guns. But it is not unusual for them to face hostage-takers on drugs, and some hostages have been hurt.

Police said they would press charges of drug use and holding a person against her will.