Uthenthawai student arrested over Siam BTS knife attack
Police have arrested a 20-year-old student for allegedly being involved in a knife attack on two students from Pathumwan Institute of Technology during a brawl at Siam BTS station in Pathumwan district on September 7.
The suspect, identified as Vichakorn, a student at Rajamangala University of Technology Tawan-ok’s Uthenthawai campus, was arrested today at Pathumwan police station.
Police said they identified him from CCTV footage of the incident and subsequently obtained an arrest warrant.
Vichakorn was among a group of Uthenthawai students who went to the police station to assert their innocence, according to Thai News Agency. He was taken into custody after police recognised him as one of the people named in the arrest warrants.
Police charged Vichakorn with jointly attempting to murder another person and carrying a knife in a town, village or public way without reasonable cause.
Police opposed bail and took him to the Bangkok South Criminal Court this morning, which denied him bail.
Vichakorn allegedly admitted that he was the person seen in the footage and acknowledged that he fled when police arrived.
The group told police that the incident was not related to rivalry between the two institutions, but stemmed from a personal dispute.
According to the students’ account, they had not gone to the BTS station to lie in wait for their rivals.
The confrontation allegedly occurred when the two groups unexpectedly encountered each other, leading to a fight.
The September 7 incident occurred at about 7:45am on the third floor of Siam BTS station, in front of scores of police officers deployed to prevent a confrontation between students from the two long-rival institutions.
Two Pathumwan students were injured after allegedly being stabbed during the confrontation.
Main photo: Vichakorn is arrested for allegedly jointly attempting to murder another person and carrying a knife in a town, village or public way without reasonable cause.//Thai News Agency