Bang Lamung —
A handicapped lottery seller in a wheelchair was brutally assaulted and robbed in the Pattaya area on Monday this week in a crime that has shocked even veteran Pattaya law enforcement officers.
On April 25th, local reporters met with Surachet Sithong, a 39-year-old handicapped lottery seller, at his residence in Soi Mabayai Lea 24, Nongprue sub-district, Chonburi after being notified that a thief brutally beat and robbed him on the side of Highway Number 36, Pong sub-district, Bang Lamung, Chonburi. Surachet had already reported the crime to the Huay Yai Police Station.
According to his statement, he had a stress-induced stroke in the past which left the right side of his body paralyzed, but he was still slightly able to move around and make a living selling lottery tickets in a wheelchair.
Surachet told TPN reporters that at around 03.00 p.m. while he was rolling down the side of the motorway in his wheelchair a man on a motorcycle told him to stop to buy a lottery ticket, but instead Surachet was suddenly punched in the face, knocking him backward onto the ground. The thief then repeatedly stomped on him, but luckily a bystander saw the incident and rushed to help, so the thief grabbed Surachet’s property including an ID card, an ATM card, a gold necklace, and 70 lottery tickets, and fled on his motorcycle.
Surachet said that he clearly memorized the thief’s appearance: male, tall, dark-skinned, and riding an automatic motorcycle. He also told local reporters about his injuries, which included a swollen left eye and bruises all over his body.
Surachet was terrified by the incident because he had never imagined that someone would be so malicious as to harm a handicapped man. The victim pleaded with police to capture his assailant as soon as possible.
Pattaya Police told TPN reporters they are aware of the incident and following several leads in the crime, stating that attacks on handicapped and disabled people were almost unheard of locally and that law enforcement would act quickly to apprehend the suspect. Pattaya police stated also that this incident was “unacceptable” and a top priority for local police.
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