Snatch And Grab

[Lost in LOS]

walking from the beach in jomtien on theprasit soi 17 10am with my dog......while the dog was watering the bushes a motorcycle drove by from behind and the nice thai man driving it ripped my shirt off and got away with my gold chain. not much of a chain but been with me a long time. must have been desperate since it wasnt showing and my dog is 50 kilos. he stopped 50 meters away and looked back. couldnt read the licence plate and too bad i couldn't catch up with the boy and explain the error of his ways but we stared at each other a bit until he was on his merry way. I will have a rather large rock with me if there is a next time and then i will take his gold chain

[cmsally]

This is getting very common , it almost happened to me in the middle of Chiang Mai last week.

Long story but he didn't get the gold, he got a mouthful of verbal abuse from me and I sent the police after him and he was caught.

Coincidentally I was also walking the dog; do we have a new trend here!?

[bkkmadness]

I think it might be less to do with the dogs and more the fact that everybody in Pattaya seems to be walking about with chunky gold chains. Might as well have a wad of cash hanging from your neck lads, it'll impress the ladies just as much and you will not lose your 'easy target' status.

[bowthai]

if he's riding a motorbike on thai roads the way they are with thai drivers the way they drive,he doesn't have long to live and you'll soon see him as a red puddle on the road.

[tuky]

2 baht gold chain and a heap of Buddhas hanging from a westerners neck looks rather..um...tacky if you ask me. But you do see it all the time in certain areas...

[Lost in LOS]

this was a rather thin gold chain i had forever. he may get lunch over it. the sad part is the ass couldnt even see it so he was just hoping. i originally thought he just hated farangs and wanted to rip my shit since he could. then i saw my chain gone. i have no doubt he will try again someday but this time i will be facing traffic and he will not be a happy camper

[bkkmadness]

i have no doubt he will try again someday but this time i will be facing traffic and he will not be a happy camper

Or you might just lose another gold chain....

[bowthai]

this was a rather thin gold chain i had forever. he may get lunch over it. the sad part is the ass couldnt even see it so he was just hoping. i originally thought he just hated farangs and wanted to rip my shit since he could. then i saw my chain gone. i have no doubt he will try again someday but this time i will be facing traffic and he will not be a happy camper

a 3 foot length of strong monofilament fishing line attached to a 3 ounce lead fishing sinker can easily fit in one's pocket and swung around can give him a serious headache.

and the term "snatch and grab" seems redundant as snatching and grabbing are the same thing.

prefer grabbing snatch myself.

[Scott]

Now lets see if some of our language experts agree if snatch and grab are the same thing.

Sorry to hear about your misfortune.

[bkkmadness]

this was a rather thin gold chain i had forever. he may get lunch over it. the sad part is the ass couldnt even see it so he was just hoping. i originally thought he just hated farangs and wanted to rip my shit since he could. then i saw my chain gone. i have no doubt he will try again someday but this time i will be facing traffic and he will not be a happy camper

a 3 foot length of strong monofilament fishing line attached to a 3 ounce lead fishing sinker can easily fit in one's pocket and swung around can give him a serious headache.

and the term "snatch and grab" seems redundant as snatching and grabbing are the same thing.

prefer grabbing snatch myself.

I wonder if on a motorbike the guy could get out of the three foot home made weaponary range before the OP managed to get it out of his pocket and start swinging.

And if you did get this guy wonder if a headache will stop him from beating/stabbing/shooting you? Either at that time or later when he has a few more friends.

It's a developing country and Pattaya is an area notorious for Thai on farang crime, walking about with an expensive gold chain openly on display is asking for snatch and grabs theft.

[vegas]

Must take quite a bit of dexterity to ride by with one hand on the throttle, reach out and grab a necklace without falling off.

[WaiWai]

Must take quite a bit of dexterity to ride by with one hand on the throttle, reach out and grab a necklace without falling off.

That's what I was thinking , esp. to get the chain beneath the shirt.

I think there's a form of theft referred to as "slash and grab" (cut the straps of a bag -or piece of jewellery -& make off with it) and that may be what the OP had in mind; no doubt a rather rattled mind after that encounter. Though the loss may not be great, such incidents can effect quite a shock. I hope he reported it, and will warn others.

Edited September 25, 2007 by WaiWai

[Scott]

Actually what happened to the OP has been around a long time. About 20 years ago, when I first came to Thailand I was warned not to wear gold necklaces because this was quite common at the time, at least in BKK. At that time, it was usually done to people crossing the street. The Motorcycle pulls out and cuts the person off, ripping off necklaces etc.

They usually worked in groups of two. One drove and the other did the snatching. They even did it at stop lights from other people on Motorcycles. Usually giving the other cycle a quick push to make it fall over while they made their getaway.

Quite a lot of variations of this one.

[bkkmadness]

The slash and grab sounds very difficult, the snatch and grab is easy. Easy target, easy snatch, nice reward.

Lot more handbag thefts from girls these days too, because the value of what's in the handbag has gone up so much. Not just getting a little money anymore, these days thiefs are getting 10-20k worth of phone, an Ipod even. Gotta be careful what you walk around with.

[KhaoNiaw]

Listening to จส100 on the way to work, this is a very common occurrence in Bangkok early in the morning. Very often it happens to a woman walking alone on her way to the bus stop, with not many people around. This morning, a woman was stabbed by the thief after he'd got her bag - she just needed stitches, I think.

That was on Tiwanon Rd, and apparently there have been a number of reports in that area recently.

[bkkmadness]

My friend's gf had her bag snatched in Bangkok. Couple of other Thai lads saw it and chased after the guy on their bikes, gave him a slapping and brought the bag back to her.

I saw one coming home myself in a taxi, couple of lads on a bike cruising by this girl late at night, then a quick snatch and they were gone. The taxi I was in gave chase but we soon hit a bit of traffic and they were gone.

[lazeeboy]

My friend's gf had her bag snatched in Bangkok. Couple of other Thai lads saw it and chased after the guy on their bikes, gave him a slapping and brought the bag back to her.

I saw one coming home myself in a taxi, couple of lads on a bike cruising by this girl late at night, then a quick snatch and they were gone. The taxi I was in gave chase but we soon hit a bit of traffic and they were gone.

becoming all to familiar in samui as well .......

[Lost in LOS]

this was a rather thin gold chain i had forever. he may get lunch over it. the sad part is the ass couldnt even see it so he was just hoping. i originally thought he just hated farangs and wanted to rip my shit since he could. then i saw my chain gone. i have no doubt he will try again someday but this time i will be facing traffic and he will not be a happy camper

a 3 foot length of strong monofilament fishing line attached to a 3 ounce lead fishing sinker can easily fit in one's pocket and swung around can give him a serious headache.

and the term "snatch and grab" seems redundant as snatching and grabbing are the same thing.

prefer grabbing snatch myself.

I wonder if on a motorbike the guy could get out of the three foot home made weaponary range before the OP managed to get it out of his pocket and start swinging.

And if you did get this guy wonder if a headache will stop him from beating/stabbing/shooting you? Either at that time or later when he has a few more friends.

It's a developing country and Pattaya is an area notorious for Thai on farang crime, walking about with an expensive gold chain openly on display is asking for snatch and grabs theft.

i didnt have it on display, it was not visable, so this would have happened if it was a string around my neck.....that being said .......do you ever come out of your home, it being a dangerous place and you could get run over by just crossing the street so i would advise never doing that. rainy days have lightning, beware....shall i go on?

i dont live my life in hiding

i wear a watch even though they may grab that

i will continue to wear a small thin gold chain after buying a new one since i enjoy it

i was wearing a hat and he could have taken that, thankfully he didnt and i dont have to replace that and i will continue to do so

do you also advise me to dress down on walking street in case they feel i have some money?

where does this end.

i will now walk facing the traffic and believe me i can drop him off his little motorbike before he can snatch or grab.

can he get his friends or shoot me? unfortunately yes, but i grew up in an area that makes this look like the safest place on earth and i have managed to survive, even with dressing nice. this one caught me unaware but i will have to keep more alert even when walking the dog. a shame but true

[Maigo6]

this was a rather thin gold chain i had forever. he may get lunch over it. the sad part is the ass couldnt even see it

Maybe he liked your shirt.

[bkkmadness]

i didnt have it on display, it was not visable

Must have been a telepathic snatcher then. If it wasn't visible why did he snatch for it?

do you ever come out of your home, it being a dangerous place and you could get run over by just crossing the street so i would advise never doing that. rainy days have lightning, beware....shall i go on?

I look both ways before I cross the road, and I don't walk into fields on empty days wearing a metal hat. Should I go on? It's about precaution against the crime, not thinking about how you are going to deal with the guy when it happens.

i dont live my life in hiding

You don't have to live your life in hiding, but now you are being forced to walk against the traffic at all times aren't you? The crime has installed that fear in you hasn't it.

Look dude, not saying it was your fault, just saying be cautious. You may come from a dangerous town at home, but when was the last time you had your gold snatched off your neck there?

Fact is gold necklace snatching is such a common crime in Pattaya (and seemingly on the increase) it's worth being extra cautious about it. Don't take what I have said the wrong way, but I guess it wasn't nice being robbed so hoping it doesn't happen to you again.

[Maigo6]

All the guys that wonder why Thai's can't be more like westerners should be satisfied. As bag snatching has been going on in western countries for years. The Thais are finally catching up.

Soon groups of Thai guys will be getting Skinhead haircuts, buy Doc Martins Boots and go Farang bashing, just for fun. Will Farangs will be abused and spat at when they pass a group of Thai guys ?

I don't think so, they're not quite up to western standards yet.

Edited September 25, 2007 by Maigo6

[bkkmadness]

this was a rather thin gold chain i had forever. he may get lunch over it. the sad part is the ass couldnt even see it

Maybe he liked your shirt.

I'd be very surprised if he snatched for a chain that he didn't know was there. Even if it was not visible at the exact moment of the snatch, sure he didn't see you walking down the street earlier and marked you as a target?

Not sure how someone wearing a shirt can make a neck chain not visible at all times, unless it was buttoned up the top button at all times. Foolish to think the snatcher didn't know it was there. Another thing is that you wear the chain all the time I guess, or pretty much all the time, you could have been seen at anytime with this chain.

For example, I know my friend is wearing a gold chain right now, we are not in the same room, we are not even in the same part of city but I can guarantee he is wearing that chain right now because I seen it on him many times before.

A girl you shagged might have even told him you wore a gold chain, the possibilities of how he knew you had a chain on that day is pretty endless really.

[Lost in LOS]

this was a rather thin gold chain i had forever. he may get lunch over it. the sad part is the ass couldnt even see it

Maybe he liked your shirt. Not a great shirt either, walk 4 kilometers back and forth to the beach so it is pretty grubby at the end

I'd be very surprised if he snatched for a chain that he didn't know was there. Even if it was not visible at the exact moment of the snatch, sure he didn't see you walking down the street earlier and marked you as a target? maybe but i think the opertunity was there and why not give it a shot. he grabed the shirt by the collar deeply and ripped. didnt realize he got the chain till further on, thought he just thought it was funny ripping the shirt.

Not sure how someone wearing a shirt can make a neck chain not visible at all times, unless it was buttoned up the top button at all times. Foolish to think the snatcher didn't know it was there. Another thing is that you wear the chain all the time I guess, or pretty much all the time, you could have been seen at anytime with this chain. long chain, thin, 14k, only reason i wear it is an old girlfriend gave it as a present but nothing special otherwise.

For example, I know my friend is wearing a gold chain right now, we are not in the same room, we are not even in the same part of city but I can guarantee he is wearing that chain right now because I seen it on him many times before. Yep, that could be, this is a stroll in the sunlight and I was not my usual aware person. yes, i will now walk on the oncoming traffic but that is safer too so i can see the cars before they hit me, maybe i should thank the thief for that.

A girl you shagged might have even told him you wore a gold chain, the possibilities of how he knew you had a chain on that day is pretty endless really.

Not possible, all the girl i have shagged think i am a handsome man and are in love with me or at least i think so

and as one poster said i was really upset. not upset just pissed off that i was that careless. time for a new gold chain already, the prices are going down right?

[JetsetBkk]

Coincidentally I was also walking the dog; do we have a new trend here!?

Possibly - were you aware of your surroundings, of who was approaching? Or were you simply looking at and thinking about your dog?

I read somewhere that joggers listening to music via headphones are targeted in London parks - they are simply in a world of their own and not looking at who is around them.

[dave111223]

A similar thing happened to one of my friends (female). A motorbike drove past and the guy on the back grabbed her bag. But she happened to have it firmly around her shoulder and the guy came flying off the back.

He quickly got up and ran away as fast as he could.

I got quite a kick out of that story just wish i could have seen it.

[B Fuddled]

this was a rather thin gold chain i had forever. he may get lunch over it. the sad part is the ass couldnt even see it

Maybe he liked your shirt.

Or didn't.

[Suszzy]

Actually what happened to the OP has been around a long time. About 20 years ago, when I first came to Thailand I was warned not to wear gold necklaces because this was quite common at the time, at least in BKK. At that time, it was usually done to people crossing the street. The Motorcycle pulls out and cuts the person off, ripping off necklaces etc.

They usually worked in groups of two. One drove and the other did the snatching. They even did it at stop lights from other people on Motorcycles. Usually giving the other cycle a quick push to make it fall over while they made their getaway.

Quite a lot of variations of this one.

it's true because it did happen to me long time ago when i was living

in los. i was sitting in the tuk-tuk in the traffic jam when suddenly two guys on the motorbike pulled up alongside me and snatched my gold necklace. it was all over befor

i knew what had happened.i was shock and angry with myself. never again.

[britmaveric]

2 baht gold chain and a heap of Buddhas hanging from a westerners neck looks rather..um...tacky if you ask me. But you do see it all the time in certain areas...

1bht chain with a small buddha looks smart!!!

[geriatrickid]

Take this as a sign from the fashion gods. Men and gold chains is so 1970's.

I am sorry you were robbed. You can replace your chain, but you can't be replaced. Take solace in that.

[kmart]

2 baht gold chain and a heap of Buddhas hanging from a westerners neck looks rather..um...tacky if you ask me. But you do see it all the time in certain areas...

1bht chain with a small buddha looks smart!!!

Agreed.