Thai police rescue wife from knife-wielding spouse
The Associated Press
Posted: 10:43am on Apr 5, 2012; Modified: 10:55am on Apr 5, 2012
Sakdawut Hamsiri, 30, holds a knife against his wife Thawee Naiyanit on a street in Bangkok, Thailand Thursday, April 5, 2012. The 6-hour knifepoint hostage ended when the police used a Taser gun to electroshock him and took him to the police station. Police said the man was under the influence of drugs. SAKCHAI LALIT — AP Photo
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.
The standoff in front of a large crowd 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.
