16-6-2023 (SINGAPORE) A 56-year-old man was taken into custody after allegedly stabbing a 57-year-old man at an eatery in Tampines on Thursday. The police responded to a distress call from Block 513 Tampines Central 1 at approximately 12:40 PM.
According to Mr. Sky Woo, a 43-year-old chicken rice seller at U-Taste Restaurant, the incident occurred during a heated argument between the two men while they were having coffee around noon. The argument escalated, leading to both individuals standing up and shouting at each other. Suddenly, one of them produced a knife-like object from his backpack and pointed it at the other man. The assailant then pushed the victim to the ground before allegedly stabbing him multiple times.
Mr. Woo recounted that the victim tried to defend himself by picking up a chair but was unsteady on his feet. Subsequently, the victim sustained several slashes to his neck and arm. Upon hearing Mr. Woo’s shout about the police approaching, the suspect fled the scene.
The victim initially sat on the ground before collapsing. Mr. Woo described the distressing scene, with the man lying in a pool of blood as concerned onlookers gathered around him until the arrival of the police and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).
The injured man was transported to Changi General Hospital in a semi-conscious state. The police have ongoing investigations into the incident. Following the incident, the eatery was cordoned off until approximately 3 PM, when the staff cleaned the chairs, tables, and floor to reopen.
According to Mr. Woo, this was not the first time the suspect had caused a disturbance at the eatery. He alleged that the same individual had engaged in a fistfight with another person there in March.
In April 2022, former Minister of State for Home Affairs Desmond Tan reported in Parliament that the number of knife-related crimes involving murder, robbery, rioting, and serious injury had remained relatively consistent, averaging around 150 cases annually in recent years. He also stated that approximately 36% of these crimes occurred in residential areas, while 3% took place in educational premises, with the remaining incidents happening in other public and commercial locations.
