Gaggle of gangsters grabbed during brawl

West Side Story-style gang fights, usually without the dancing, are a Blotter staple. Two Battambang crews kept up that tradition on Sunday when they attacked each other with knives, rocks and bare fists in a street-side brawl. Witnesses said the men seemed blissfully unaware that bystanders were calling police, though when Phnom Penh’s finiest finally arrived, the blood-stained gangsters fled in all directions. Police made 20 arrests. kampuchea thmey

Farm boy forgets nature’s call, calls police instead

A pleasant environment is all a young farm boy wishes for when nature calls. A Battambang kid was denied that on Saturday when he went into a rice field for a BM and found an unconscious, bloodied man. The frightened boy abandoned his project and went to police who sent the man to hospital. It appeared that he had been attacked and stabbed by someone for unknown reasons. Police are investigating. Deum Ampil

Selling of stolen moto hits too close to home

A 21-year-old was arrested after stealing and subsequently trying to sell a motorbike in the capital’s Daun Penh district on Sunday. The man had tried to sell the moto at a local market – never a good move – and police caught him after receiving a complaint from the bike’s original owner. The petrol head admitted that he had stolen the bike the previous day, and was packed off to court. Koh Santepheap

Man scores trifecta of dysfunction, is arrested

A tendency towards both alcoholism and arson can be a deadly combination. Mix that with a history of domestic abuse and you are likely to have a very serious situation. A 29-year-old was arrested in Kandal’s Sa’ang district on Monday after coming home drunk, beating his wife and kids, and then setting fire to the home after discovering no food had been left for him. The home was reduced to ashes and the man later told police he was angry at his wife for neglecting their kids in favour of gambling. Kampuchea Thmey

Grudge gets nasty for stabbed Kratie man

Three men were arrested by Kratie police on Sunday after allegedly stabbing a local man and leaving him for dead. According to police, the victim was sitting outside his house when the trio, with whom he had some sort of ongoing tiff, arrived. A clearly nasty argument broke out, which abruptly ended when the lone victim was stabbed in the stomach. Luckily a neighbour called police, who caught the fleeing suspects and sent the victim to hospital for emergency treatment. Kampuchea Thmey

Translated by Sen David