Lt Sontaya Lukkleang of the Phuket City Police at 10am was called to investigate a crazed man who was smashing a lottery stand and destroying items at the Buddhist supplies shop on Ong Sim Pai Rd.
Police arrived with Kusolharm rescue workers to found a shirtless man running amok, punching motorists driving by.
“Rescue workers attempted to stop him when ran out into the middle of the road and hit people. We got him while he was engaged in a fist fight with one motorist who had punched him back and injured his left cheek,” Lt Sontaya said.
“The man said that the solar eclipse god had told him to buy a winning lottery here. The man got upset when the vendor refused to sell the man any lottery tickets, so the two got into argument then a fight broke out,” he added.
The “solar eclipse god” apparently told the man that he could not lose. “He said that the solar eclipse god told him that any lottery ticket that he bought from this particular vendor would be the winning ticket,” explained Lt Sontaya.
“We later identified the man as 45-year-old Sukthiporn Onsuwan. We were told that he was admitted to a local hospital for epilepsy last month, and had been acting very strange since,” he said.
Mr Sukthiporn was taken to Vachira Phuket Hospital for treatment to his facial injury.
“We have to discuss with the parties involved whether they want to press charges against him. So far, no charges have been filed,” Lt Sontaya said.