A manhunt is underway for Santi Jae-arlee, a former boxer who evaded arrest after breaking into a house on Soi Inthamara 29 in Bangkok's Phaya Thai district on Thursday night.
The armed intruder managed to escape while two brothers inside the house were safely rescued.
Santi, 39, entered the home where a woman and her two sons were present. During the incident, he opened fire, prompting police to respond.
The two brothers, aged 30 and 31 and both physicians, were rescued after an overnight standoff. Their mother had previously escaped, Pol Gen Kitrat Phanphet, acting national police chief, said.
The suspect fled the scene as police entered the house, escaping through a ventilation shaft and scaling the back wall, according to Pol Col Phuwadol Ounphor, chief of Bang Sue police station.
Initial reports mistakenly indicated that children were taken hostage, but there were no children inside the home.
Officers have examined footage from closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras to find clues about his escape route.
Santi, known as "Ritthidet Maimuangkhon" from the Muay Teedet 99 boxing camp, had a history of drug addiction and criminal behaviour, leading to his departure from the camp five years ago.
Meanwhile, his wife Potjanee caused a scene at a deserted building near Sutthisan intersection, threatening self-harm after learning about her husband's situation.
Police took more than two hours to calm her down. She later fled the building and initially held a police officer at gunpoint, forcing him to drive toward Wang Noi district in Ayutthaya province.
Ms Potjanee surrendered to police around 5.50am on Friday, crying and nursing foot injuries from broken glass at the abandoned site.
An ambulance was sent to take her to the Police General Hospital for treatment.
Pol Maj Gen Noppasil Phoonsawat, deputy chief of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, shows a photo of Santi Jae-arlee, 39, a former boxer who evaded arrest after breaking into a house on Inthamara Soi 29 in Bangkok on Thursday night, during a media briefing on Friday. (Photo: Pattarapong Chatpattarasill)