(5 September) Pattaya
police have arrested a naked well-built American man after he briefly held a woman hostage in a
convenience store.
When the police arrived, a large crowd of locals and tourists were
watching the bizarre event unfold at a 7-11 store opposite Bangkok Bank on Pra Tamnak Road. The
officers took 10 minutes convincing the foreign man to let go of the woman he was
holding.
The hostage taker eventually released her and the police immediately arrested the
man. However, he was in a confused state as though he was on drugs; all he could tell the police was
that he is an American citizen named Kenwell. The police then took Mr. Kenwell to a police station
for further interrogation.
The woman told our correspondent she worked as a cashier at a bar
in Pattaya′s Walking Street. Earlier that night, she said, she was returning home from work when
suddenly the naked Mr. Kenwell ran maddeningly toward her and dragged her into the 7-11
store.
When she resisted, the American punched her face, breaking a tooth. But she managed to
scream for help until someone alerted the police.
It is the second strange incident taking
place at Pattaya 7-11 stores in 2 days. Previously, a Russian man exposed his genitals to the
cashiers in one of the stores, and was later arrested.
