Friendly banter turned violent at Ban Phai Police Station as a reporter says a deputy police superintendent choked him twice. He blacked out and woke bleeding from a gash requiring 12 stitches. The officer was later transferred and faces disciplinary proceedings.
A senior Khon Kaen police officer has been transferred after a local journalist accused him of choking him twice inside Ban Phai Police Station. Trithep Kiattipakorn, 42, says the second assault knocked him unconscious and left him bleeding from a gash requiring 12 stitches. Two fellow officers reportedly witnessed the first attack and urged their superior to stop. The confrontation allegedly began as joking between longtime friends before turning violent within minutes. Khon Kaen Provincial Police have since removed the Deputy Superintendent of Investigation from his post and launched a formal inquiry. Mr Trithep remains in hospital and plans to file a police complaint immediately after his discharge.
A senior Khon Kaen police officer has been transferred after a local journalist accused him of choking and assaulting him inside a police station. The reporter lost consciousness and suffered a gash above his right eyebrow requiring 12 stitches.
In response, Khon Kaen Provincial Police ordered the officer transferred and launched a formal investigation. Two other officers reportedly witnessed the first choking and urged their superior to stop.
The confrontation unfolded at Ban Phai Police Station at about 7 pm on Friday, August 7. The injured reporter was identified as Trithep Kiattipakorn, 42, widely known as Mo Ban Phai.
He owns the Ban Phai News Facebook page and works as a local journalist. In addition, Mr Trithep is part of a network of television and newspaper reporters across Khon Kaen province.
Journalist treated for 12-stitch eyebrow gash as senior police officer is transferred in Khon Kaen
Mr Trithep remained at Ban Phai Hospital on Saturday following the incident. Doctors closed the gash above his right eyebrow with 12 stitches. Furthermore, he suffered scratches and cuts from fingernails around his neck.
Medical staff kept him under observation and advised him to remain hospitalised for another night. He has vowed to pursue legal action after leaving hospital.
Meanwhile, the officer accused of assaulting him was identified as the Deputy Superintendent of Investigation at Ban Phai Police Station. Khon Kaen Provincial Police ordered his immediate transfer following reports about the incident. The move effectively removed him from his previous position. In parallel, provincial police established a committee to investigate exactly what happened inside the station.
Separately, Ban Phai Police Station Superintendent Pol Col Rakchart Rueangcharoen visited Mr Trithep at the hospital on Saturday morning. He questioned the injured reporter about Friday night’s confrontation. Afterwards, investigators conducted an initial interview while Mr Trithep remained under medical care. The reporter said he would file a formal complaint immediately after his discharge.
Reporter says friendly chat at Ban Phai station turned violent as deputy superintendent grabbed his neck
According to Mr Trithep, the incident began as he prepared to attend a nearby local government event. At about 7 pm, he parked outside the investigation office at Ban Phai Police Station. He planned to attend the annual Village Headman and Subdistrict Chief Day event. The gathering was being held at the nearby Ban Phai District Office grounds.
At that point, the Deputy Superintendent of Investigation approached him and called him over. Mr Trithep had known the officer for a long time. Indeed, they had worked together frequently and had become close friends. The pair also regularly joked when they met. However, Mr Trithep said they had never previously experienced any conflict.
The deputy superintendent invited him to a marble table behind the investigation office. Two other police officers were already sitting there. Mr Trithep joined them and began talking with the group. Initially, he said, the conversation appeared completely routine. However, everything changed after about five minutes.
“There were two other police officers sitting at the table with me,” Mr Trithep said. “About five minutes later, the deputy superintendent violently grabbed me by the neck. I felt like I couldn’t breathe, so I told him to stop.”
Two officers urged deputy superintendent to stop before reporter walked away from the marble table
Crucially, the two other officers also told the deputy superintendent to stop. One nearby officer then prepared to stand and intervene. At that point, Mr Trithep said, the deputy superintendent released his neck. The reporter immediately decided to leave the table. By then, he realised the encounter had gone far beyond their usual joking.
Consequently, Mr Trithep walked towards the front of the investigation room. However, the confrontation was not over. As he reached the entrance, he heard the deputy superintendent speaking behind him. “Did you get mad over just a little joke?” the officer reportedly asked. In another account, Mr Trithep recalled the words as: “You’re sulking over just a little joke?”
Mr Trithep replied that the physical encounter had become too rough. “I replied, ‘If you’re going to play rough like this, I’m leaving,'” he said. He also recalled telling the officer: “I’m going home.” Nevertheless, Mr Trithep said the deputy superintendent followed him from the marble table.
According to the reporter, the officer then grabbed him around the neck for a second time. This time, Mr Trithep lost consciousness. “After that, I didn’t feel anything until I regained consciousness,” he said. His next memory was of two police officers attending to him as blood ran from his face.
Reporter woke bleeding after second choking as officers wiped blood from gash above his right eyebrow
Significantly, those were the same officers who had been sitting at the marble table. They were using tissues to wipe away the blood. Initially, Mr Trithep believed he was suffering a nosebleed. However, the bleeding would not stop. He then discovered a gash above his right eyebrow.
The injury later required 12 stitches at Ban Phai Hospital. Additionally, Mr Trithep suffered scratches and cuts around his neck. Those injuries were described as marks caused by fingernails. Officers inside the station then contacted Ban Phai Municipal Emergency Medical Services for assistance.
Yet the disturbance reportedly continued while Mr Trithep waited for the ambulance. “While waiting for the ambulance, I heard the deputy superintendent shouting loudly,” he said. A patrol officer then came to investigate what was happening. At that stage, Mr Trithep said, the deputy superintendent returned to his office.
Eventually, emergency medical personnel arrived at Ban Phai Police Station. They provided first aid before transporting Mr Trithep to Ban Phai Hospital. Doctors then treated the gash above his right eyebrow with 12 stitches. They also examined the scratches and cuts around his neck. Afterwards, medical staff admitted him for observation.
Provincial police transfer deputy superintendent and launch inquiry as reporter remains in hospital
By Saturday, doctors had advised Mr Trithep to remain hospitalised for another night. Meanwhile, reports about the confrontation were spreading rapidly across Khon Kaen. Provincial Facebook pages reported that a police officer had assaulted a citizen inside Ban Phai Police Station. Early reports identified the officer by the rank of police lieutenant colonel.
Later, the officer was identified as the station’s Deputy Superintendent of Investigation. The reports triggered widespread criticism of the conduct described inside the station. Subsequently, Khon Kaen Provincial Police confirmed that immediate action had been taken. The deputy superintendent was transferred from his posting while the case was examined.
As part of the response, provincial police also established a committee to investigate the facts. The inquiry followed Mr Trithep’s account and the growing attention surrounding his injuries. Notably, his version identified several police officers who were present during key stages of the confrontation.
Two officers were sitting at the marble table when the first choking occurred, according to Mr Trithep. Both reportedly told the deputy superintendent to stop. Moreover, one prepared to stand and help the journalist. Mr Trithep said the deputy superintendent released him only after that intervention began.
Officers who witnessed the first choking later helped bleeding reporter as he prepared to pursue legal action
Those same officers later helped Mr Trithep after he regained consciousness. They wiped blood from his face with tissues while emergency assistance was arranged. On another front, a patrol officer appeared during the later disturbance. Mr Trithep said the deputy superintendent then went back inside his office.
The reporter also took his account directly to the public from Ban Phai Hospital. He live-streamed from his hospital bed after being admitted. During the broadcast, he detailed the confrontation and displayed his injuries. Furthermore, he vowed to pursue legal action to the fullest extent.
Despite the violence he described, Mr Trithep stressed there had been no earlier dispute between the two men. Instead, he described years of regular professional contact with the deputy superintendent. Over time, he said, their working relationship had developed into a close friendship. They frequently joked when they encountered each other.
However, nothing similar had happened before. Therefore, Mr Trithep said he had no reason to expect Friday night’s meeting to become violent. He had gone to the station only before attending the annual local government event nearby. The deputy superintendent then called him over for what appeared to be an ordinary conversation.
Years of friendship gave reporter no warning before police station conversation suddenly turned violent
Within approximately five minutes, according to Mr Trithep, that conversation had turned physical. The first choking left him struggling for breath. Importantly, two fellow officers witnessed the confrontation and told their superior to stop. One then prepared to intervene before the deputy superintendent released him.
Mr Trithep immediately tried to remove himself from the situation. However, he said the deputy superintendent challenged him about becoming upset over “just a little joke.” The reporter answered that he was leaving because the physical encounter had become too rough. He also made clear that he was going home.
Nevertheless, Mr Trithep said the officer followed him towards the investigation room entrance. The second assault then followed. According to Mr Trithep, the deputy superintendent again grabbed him around the neck. This time, the reporter blacked out.
When Mr Trithep regained consciousness, blood was running from the wound above his right eyebrow. Initially, he believed the blood was coming from his nose. Instead, he had suffered a gash that later required 12 stitches. Scratches and cuts from fingernails were also visible around his neck.
The sequence described by Mr Trithep therefore places both reported assaults inside Ban Phai Police Station. The first occurred at the marble table behind the investigation office. The second happened as he tried to leave the area. In each case, other police officers were nearby or directly involved afterwards.
Two assaults inside Ban Phai station left journalist unconscious, bleeding and needing 12 stitches
The consequences also escalated sharply between the two encounters. During the first, Mr Trithep said he struggled to breathe before the officer released him. During the second, he lost consciousness. Afterwards, fellow officers found him bleeding and called emergency medical services.
Meanwhile, the police response moved to provincial level by Saturday. Pol Col Rakchart had already visited Mr Trithep in hospital that morning. Investigators also conducted their initial questioning. Subsequently, Khon Kaen Provincial Police confirmed the deputy superintendent’s transfer and the fact-finding investigation.
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Mr Trithep has made clear that he intends to pursue the matter formally. Specifically, he plans to file a police report immediately after leaving Ban Phai Hospital. The complaint will be lodged at Ban Phai Police Station, where the reported assault occurred.
For now, the deputy superintendent has been removed from his previous posting while the facts are examined. Mr Trithep remained in hospital as that process began. Doctors continued monitoring him after treating the gash above his eyebrow and the injuries around his neck. Once discharged, he said, he will proceed with his police complaint.
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