SINGAPORE, Oct 30 — A 38-year-old man was arrested in the early hours of Sunday after he allegedly used a stun device on two Traffic Police officers who stopped him for speeding along Victoria Street.
Aside from the stun device, he was also found in possession of various weapons — a samurai sword, two knuckledusters, chopper and danger — as well as controlled drugs, including 236g of ‘Ice’, 11g of heroin, 56 Erimin-5 tablets and two Ecstasy tablets.
What happened
Sergeant Muhammad Afiq Yahya, 29, and Staff Sergeant Khairulanwar Abd Kahar, 32, were conducting a patrol along Victoria Street when they spotted a speeding vehicle just before 3am on Sunday,
They signalled for the vehicle to pull over and the driver complied but stopped his car on the second lane along Victoria Street.
When officers asked the driver for his national identification card (NRIC) and driving licence, he only produced his NRIC for identification.
To avoid further obstruction to other road users, they directed him to move his car to the side of the road for further checks, said the police at a press conference today.
The driver complied and stopped his car on lane three of the three-lane road near the junction of North Bridge Road and Jalan Sultan.
“He then dashed out of his car suddenly and fled on foot with his belongings that exposed a black object resembling the handle of a weapon,” said the police in a press release on Monday.
The officers gave chase and managed to stop the man at a nearby back alley at Jalan Klapa Road.
The man dropped his belongings, including a samurai sword with a black handle, during the ensuing struggle with officers.
The man then allegedly brandished a stun device in his possession and used it to tase the officers repeatedly.
Sergeant Muhammad Afiq sustained two injuries to his fingers and shin, while Staff Sergeant Khairulanwar was tased four times on his back.
Speaking to the media on Monday, Sergeant Muhammad Afiq said that while being tased felt like “electric shocks”, but he was still able to subdue the man.
“At that point in time, the pain was bearable, and I was in the moment.”
Staff Sergeant Khairulanwar said he felt numbness in his lower back.
Despite their injuries, the officers were able to subdue and arrest the man with the help of 22-year-old Private Mohammed Akbar Madarsa Mohamed Sultan, an off-duty full-time national serviceman from the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) who was passing by.
“I feel very relieved someone was helping us,” said Sgt Yahya.
“When I saw the police officers grappling with the aggressive suspect, I felt a strong sense of duty to help,” said Pte Akbar, who was presented the Public Spiritedness Award by the police.
The man will be charged on Monday with the following offences:
• For voluntarily causing hurt to a police officer, he faces up to 7 years jail, and a fine or caning
• For possession of an offensive weapon, he faces a jail term of up to three years and caning with not less than six strokes;
• For possession of the two knuckle dusters, he faces a jail term of up to five years and caning with not less than six strokes
• For possession of a stun device, he faces a fine of up to S$10,000 and imprisonment for a term of up to three years;
• He also faces an imprisonment term of not exceeding 30 years or imprisonment for life, and 15 strokes of the cane for trafficking in not less than 167g and not more than 250g of methamphetamine
• For driving under the influence of drugs, he faces a fine of not less than S$2,000 and of up to S$10,000 and a jail term of up to 12 months, or both;
• For driving whilst under disqualification, he also faces a fine of up to S$10,000 with imprisonment for a term of up to three years or both
• For driving without valid insurance, he faces a fine of up to S$1,000 and a jail term of up to three months, or both.
The police added that they have zero tolerance for such brazen acts of violence against police officers and will not hesitate to take firm action against those who blatantly disregard the law. — TODAY