A decided thief learned the hard way that toy guns usually are not very effective in carrying out armed robberies, particularly when the intended victim is packing actual heat. At 12:15 am on July 11, 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 highway from Udon Thani to Sakhon Nakhon. Arriving on the scene with fellow officers, he discovered a critically-injured man mendacity beneath a dark blue Honda motorcycle, with a single .22 caliber bullet wound to the left side of his chest. Beside him on the highway was a duplicate gun. Later identified as 29-year-old Wiwat Santiwattanakul. whose first title 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 owner, 59-year-old Somchai Thongnarong, informed police that one of his pump attendants, 25-year-old Phichit Channarong, had also been shot within the robbery attempt and had been rushed to hospital earlier. K. Somchai stated he closed up the two-pump station as traditional that night time at 10 pm, turning out the lights and retiring inside the office with his spouse. Sleeping on a cot outdoors, in front of the pumps, was K. Pichit – presumably to observe 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 noticed his trusty employee grappling with the robber, the pair spinning in circles, each trying to get control of the shoulder bag. Nearby on a motorcycle sat two more thugs, armed with knives and watching the proceedings. “As quickly as they saw me by way of the window, they raised their knives and started towards me. But they stopped of their tracks when I let off a warning shot,” he stated. But the warning shot didn’t deter the third thief from trying to steal the shoulder bag, and his wrestle with K. Phichit continued. “That’s after I took goal 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 skilled his sights on me. But I fired first, hitting him in the chest,” he mentioned. They say there is honor among thieves, but on this night time it was apparently in short provide. Rather than assist their wounded comrade, the 2 knife-wielding accomplices jumped on their motorbike and sped off. Wiwat, the man of peace, tried to do the identical. Despite having a bullet lodged in his chest, he received on his motorcycle, cash bag lastly in his possession, and commenced to drive off. He didn’t get far, however, before losing his balance and falling to the highway. K. Somchai, who had been operating the station for a few years, mentioned he purchased the gun after he was robbed of 5,000 baht in cash and a mobile phone during a similar assault in June 2003. Kickstart had already used the weapon to fend o