Village Head Defends Wife with Hair Curler During Knife Attack

On October 16, 2026, reporters said CCTV footage captured the chaotic scene: a man wielding a knife stabbed a woman who had fallen in the street while she kicked back. A man from a nearby house arrived with an object in hand to defend himself, they grappled and fell together, and neighbors came to help detain the attacker. At 1:30 p.m. that day, police and villagers arrested the suspect, identified as Mr. Witthichai (surname withheld), 42, a factory worker. He was taken to Don Hua Lo Police Station for questioning but spoke incoherently, so he was sent to Chonburi Hospital for a medical examination. The incident occurred in front of the Village Head Office of Moo 2, Don Hua Lo Subdistrict, Mueang District, Chonburi Province. Later, the village head and his wife filed a complaint with Police Lieutenant Chalawit Athiphanshee of Don Hua Lo Police Station. Mr. Sakrin, 39, a municipal councilor of Don Hua Lo Municipality, said that after being alerted he coordinated with local administrators and police to rush to the scene and apprehend the assailant. From what he saw, self‑defense or defending others is difficult under the current firearms ban; the video suggests the attacker intended to kill. He urged authorities to consider allowing officials such as village heads to carry guns for self‑protection and to safeguard villagers. Ms. Nattalda, 30, the village head’s wife, suffered abrasions on her arm and knee. She said the man suddenly came to the front of their house, insulted the village head and called her out. When she went to look, he immediately lunged with a knife. She fought back as shown in the clip, and believes she would have been stabbed had the village head not intervened. The village head, Mr. Naowich, 59, suffered two stab wounds to the abdomen, two to the face and one to his left big toe. He explained that he had been lying down when he heard his wife’s shout, ran outside and saw the attacker stabbing her. He ran back inside to get his gun but remembered the prohibition on firearms, so he seized an electric hair curler and struck the attacker. They wrestled and fell to the ground until villagers arrived and helped restrain the man. He said he does not know why the attacker acted this way; previously he had always helped him, but lately the man seemed deranged after breaking up with his wife, drinking heavily and possibly losing his mind. He hopes the authorities will reconsider the ban on carrying weapons so that officials can protect themselves and their communities. The attacker’s former wife, referred to as Ms. Daeng, said they had lived together for five years without children. Before, he showed no violent tendencies, but recently he drank large amounts of white liquor daily and talked to herself. She eventually moved away, wondering why he had turned his anger on the village head who had always helped him.