Wild birthday brawl ends with an off-duty 191 officer stabbed twice and underworld figure Dam Bangkapi behind bars. He admits using a knife but claims self-defence as police comb viral videos and investigate every guest at the crowded party in depth.
A notorious Bangkok underworld figure is behind bars after an off-duty 191 officer was stabbed twice during a wild birthday brawl. Chaluai “Dam Bangkapi” Rueang-iat surrendered on Friday and admitted stabbing the officer with a knife, but claimed self-defence. The violent party drew police, soldiers, bikers and nightlife figures before footage of the melee raced across social media. Dam now faces attempted murder and weapons charges after the Bangkok Criminal Court denied bail. Meanwhile, detectives are examining every punch, weapon and participant as the widening investigation threatens further charges.
Bangkok police arrested a well-known underworld figure on Friday after an off-duty officer was stabbed twice during a wild birthday brawl. The bloody confrontation tore through a shrimp-fishing venue in Lat Phrao on Wednesday night. Within hours, videos of the melee were racing across social media.
Chaluai Rueang-iat, 62, is known as “Dam Bangkapi” and “Dam Ban Tai”. He surrendered at Chok Chai Police Station on Friday evening after officers secured an arrest warrant. Notably, the Bangkok Criminal Court approved the warrant following evidence gathered by investigators.
Dam arrived at the station with a lawyer but offered no explanation outside. Reporters pressed him about the stabbing as he entered the building. Nevertheless, he ignored their questions and made no public statement.
Dam faces attempted murder charge after birthday party argument descends into a violent mass brawl
Police arrested Dam under the court warrant shortly after his arrival. They then charged him with attempted murder. Separately, officers charged him with carrying a knife in public without reasonable cause.
The charges stemmed from violence at a shrimp-fishing venue near the Wang Hin intersection. On Wednesday night, the premises hosted a birthday celebration for a Bangkok figure known as “Ood Ratchada”. Among the guests were numerous motorcycle enthusiasts from across the capital.
Serving police officers and military personnel also attended the gathering. In addition, several well-known figures from Bangkok’s nightlife scene joined the celebration. The venue was crowded when an argument broke out between two groups.
Initially, the confrontation involved only members of those groups. Within moments, however, the argument became a large fistfight. Other guests moved towards the violence as the disturbance spread through the premises.
Some men joined the brawl as punches flew across the venue. At the same time, other guests reportedly attempted to break up the fighting. The result was a chaotic melee involving numerous people in a confined space.
Police Lieutenant Sitthichai Phet-in, 56, was attending the party in civilian clothing. He is widely known as “Lieutenant Jack 191”. Crucially, he serves with the Patrol and Special Operations Division.
Off-duty Bangkok officer stabbed twice in abdomen while trying to stop violence at crowded party
The division is commonly associated with Bangkok’s 191 emergency police service. Yet Police Lieutenant Sitthichai was attending the celebration while off duty. Consequently, he was not wearing a police uniform when the violence began.
Reports said the officer moved into the fight and attempted to stop it. Instead, he became a victim of the violence. During the confusion, an attacker stabbed him twice in the abdomen.
Both knife wounds required urgent medical attention. In response, the wounded officer was rushed to Paolo Hospital Chokchai 4. Early reports described his condition as serious.
Another guest, identified as Satawat, was injured during the same disturbance. He suffered a wound above his right eyebrow. According to investigators, a glass may have caused that injury.
Satawat was also transported to Paolo Hospital Chokchai 4. Meanwhile, Police Lieutenant Sitthichai remained under treatment for the two abdominal wounds. His condition later improved, and police confirmed he was safe.
The stabbing immediately became the centre of a major criminal investigation. As part of this, Chok Chai officers began collecting evidence from the shrimp-fishing venue. They also launched efforts to identify everyone involved in the brawl.
Viral footage drives police hunt as investigators identify Dam Bangkapi as the suspected attacker
Footage of the confrontation quickly appeared across social media. Soon afterwards, the recordings attracted widespread attention and placed the party under intense scrutiny. Several clips showed men fighting inside the venue.
The videos offered investigators an immediate view of the disorder. Even so, individual clips could not provide a complete sequence of events. Police therefore began seeking every available recording from the night.
In parallel, officers questioned people who attended the birthday celebration. They asked witnesses how the argument started and who threw the first blows. Investigators also sought accounts of the officer’s actions before the stabbing.
The inquiry focused on several distinct groups inside the venue. Some guests had joined the fighting, while others reportedly tried to intervene. Others may have remained outside the confrontation entirely.
For that reason, police began matching faces in the recordings with witness accounts. Officers also tracked the movements of those standing near the stabbing. The process eventually identified Dam Bangkapi as the suspected knife attacker.
Chok Chai investigators then assembled evidence for a court application. Subsequently, the Bangkok Criminal Court approved a warrant for Dam’s arrest. The warrant covered attempted murder and unlawful knife-carrying accusations.
Dam admits using knife but claims self-defence as police test his account against video evidence
Before officers detained him elsewhere, Dam contacted Chok Chai Police Station. He arranged to surrender on Friday evening with his lawyer present. Upon arrival, police formally detained him under the warrant.
Investigators questioned Dam for several hours inside the station. In particular, they pressed him about the argument, the fight and the knife attack. They also examined whether he knew Police Lieutenant Sitthichai before Wednesday night.
Thai media reported that Dam admitted using the knife. However, he reportedly maintained that he had acted in self-defence. He also denied holding any previous grudge against the wounded officer.
According to that account, no earlier conflict existed between the two men. By contrast, police have not treated his explanation as established fact. Investigators are checking every part of it against independent evidence.
Witness statements will be central to that process. Likewise, recordings may reveal what happened immediately before both stab wounds. Police must also establish when Dam produced the knife during the fight.
Silent Dam is locked in police cells as detectives reconstruct the birthday brawl minute by minute
At approximately 7.30 pm, officers completed the initial round of questioning. Afterwards, they escorted Dam into the station’s detention cells. The 62-year-old remained silent as reporters again demanded answers.
He did not explain why he brought a knife to the venue. Nor did he publicly discuss the reported self-defence claim. His lawyer also withheld any detailed public account of the defence.
As a result, Dam’s position emerged through reports concerning his police interview. His reported admission placed the knife in his hands during the confrontation. His self-defence claim instead disputed the criminal circumstances surrounding its use.
Police are now reconstructing those circumstances minute by minute. First, they must establish how the argument between both groups began. Next, they must trace how the dispute spread across the venue.
Beyond that, investigators must identify each person who entered the fight. They must also distinguish combatants from guests attempting to restore order. That division remains important when examining Police Lieutenant Sitthichai’s reported intervention.
Police examine officer’s intervention, witnesses and medical evidence surrounding double stabbing
The officer attended the party as an off-duty civilian. Nonetheless, reports said he stepped into the melee to stop the violence. Moments later, he had two stab wounds in his abdomen.
Investigators must determine what happened as the officer approached those fighting. Specifically, they will examine Dam’s movements and the actions of surrounding guests. Nearby witnesses could provide direct accounts of the knife attack.
Medical evidence will also form an important part of the case. Furthermore, the locations of both wounds will help document the force used. The injured officer’s statement will be assessed alongside those medical findings.
Police have already questioned Police Lieutenant Sitthichai about the attack. On another front, officers are collecting statements from other guests and venue personnel. Those accounts could reveal what occurred beyond the camera footage.
The crowded conditions present another difficulty for investigators. Several people were moving through a confined area during a fast-developing fistfight. Accordingly, some witnesses may have observed only part of the stabbing.
Police must now compare each account with the recorded movements. Where descriptions conflict, officers will conduct further questioning. Any additional footage could also close gaps surrounding the attack.
Self-defence claim faces scrutiny as police investigate two knife wounds and another guest’s injury
Dam’s reported self-defence claim requires a detailed examination of the moments before the stabbing. Under that account, police must determine whether he faced an immediate threat. They must also establish the force being used against him.
More importantly, investigators must determine why two wounds were inflicted. The attempted murder charge reflects the police assessment of the current evidence. Still, the complete case file remains under preparation.
The weapon accusation forms a separate part of the prosecution. Dam faces a charge of carrying a knife in public without reasonable cause. Therefore, investigators will examine his possession of the weapon before the brawl began.
Satawat’s injury adds another strand to the widening inquiry. As previously noted, he suffered a wound above his right eyebrow. Police believe a glass may have struck him during the disorder.
At present, the supplied information does not identify who caused that injury. Investigators must determine whether somebody deliberately threw or wielded the glass. They must then identify that person before considering further action.
Police scrutinise every party guest as status and personal connections offer no shield from prosecution
The wider inquiry is not confined to Dam and the two injured men. Instead, police are examining every participant visible in the recordings. Officers want to identify each punch, intervention and possible weapons offence.
Chok Chai Police Station said everyone shown breaking the law would face action. Significantly, police said social standing or personal connections would not affect the investigation. The statement followed scrutiny of the prominent gathering.
The party included serving police officers, military personnel and nightlife figures. Motorcycle enthusiasts also formed a significant part of the guest list. Yet attendance alone does not establish participation in the violence.
To address that distinction, investigators are separating ordinary guests from those who fought. They are also identifying people who entered the melee to stop it. Police Lieutenant Sitthichai reportedly belonged to that second group.
Video analysis remains vital to that work. At this stage, officers are examining the footage frame by frame. They are matching visible participants with names supplied by witnesses.
Detectives hunt footage of first punch and other weapons as party organiser faces excessive-noise charge
Equally, police want recordings covering the period before the first punch. Those minutes could establish the cause and direction of the original dispute. The supplied facts do not identify what triggered the argument.
In the meantime, investigators continue questioning witnesses about the opening confrontation. They want to know who approached whom and how quickly the violence spread. They also need to establish when the knife first appeared.
The knife remains the principal weapon under investigation. Aside from that, police are checking whether anybody else carried weapons into the venue. Witness accounts or recordings could expose additional objects used during the fight.
If further offences emerge, more people could face charges. For now, however, Dam remains the central suspect in the stabbing investigation. The party organiser has already faced separate police action.
Officers charged the organiser with creating a public nuisance through excessive noise. This accusation is separate from the attempted murder case. Even so, it arose from the same Wednesday night gathering.
Court denies Dam bail over brazen attack as police build attempted murder and knife-carrying case
On Saturday, police removed Dam from the Chok Chai station cells. They transferred him to the Bangkok Criminal Court for a detention hearing. There, investigators requested permission to keep him in custody while completing the inquiry.
Police said they needed more time to question witnesses and examine recordings. The court approved his continued detention. It also refused Dam’s application for bail.
In rejecting bail, the court described the conduct under examination as brazen. The court also said the circumstances showed a lack of respect for the law. Accordingly, Dam was remanded in custody after the hearing.
The suspect again made no public statement following the court proceedings. His reported self-defence position will instead be tested through the criminal investigation. Prosecutors will later receive the completed police evidence file.
That file will include the available video recordings. It will also contain witness statements and medical information concerning both abdominal wounds. Additionally, police will include evidence supporting the knife-carrying accusation.
Police compare online videos and witness accounts to reconstruct fight, intervention and double stabbing
Online footage provides only part of the developing prosecution. For instance, police must verify when each recording began and ended. They must also determine whether any crucial moments occurred outside the camera frame.
Witness evidence could fill those gaps. Conversely, the videos may challenge inaccurate or incomplete witness accounts. Investigators will compare both sources before finalising their reconstruction.
The inquiry will begin with the argument between the two groups. From there, police will trace the spread of the fistfight. They will then reconstruct Police Lieutenant Sitthichai’s intervention and the double stabbing.
Finally, officers will assess every other suspected offence during the brawl. That includes Satawat’s eyebrow injury and any additional weapon use. The separate excessive-noise case against the organiser will proceed alongside those inquiries.
Wild birthday brawl ends with officer stabbed, Dam jailed and further weapons charges pending
The birthday celebration had drawn police, soldiers, motorcyclists and nightlife personalities into one crowded venue. Then an argument turned the event into a violent melee. An off-duty officer entered the chaos and emerged with two abdominal knife wounds.
Two days later, Dam Bangkapi walked into Chok Chai Police Station with his lawyer. Officers arrested him, questioned him and placed him inside a cell. The next morning, they brought him before the Bangkok Criminal Court.
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Dam now faces attempted murder and unlawful knife-carrying charges. Moreover, the court has denied him bail and remanded him in custody. Police Lieutenant Sitthichai, meanwhile, survived the stabbing and was later reported safe.
Chok Chai investigators continue identifying everyone involved in the fight. They are examining footage, questioning witnesses and checking for further weapons offences. The sprawling birthday brawl could therefore produce additional charges as the evidence review continues.
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