A 43-year-old man in a van performed an impressively high number of unlawful actions on 24 July, getting hit with eight charges in court.
Van Driver Flees Police Inspection, Bites an Officer
At around 1:40 pm that day, the Traffic Police set up an operation along Java Road, near the Nicoll Highway MRT station.
They directed a van to stop for a routine inspection.
Not suspiciously at all, the van driver ignored them and raced off at high speeds.
According to the police statement, he drove in a “dangerous manner”.
He allegedly sped along Nicoll Highway at up to 120 km/h, a bit over the speed limit of 70 km/h.
Police claim that he swerved from the right side of the road to the left and nearly collided with several other vehicles.
After the reckless display of driving, he abandoned his van at the junction of Geyland Road and Sims Way and ran off.
The Traffic Police officers gave chase on foot, and the van driver made it 200 metres away into Lorong 9 Geylang before he got stopped.
Apparently not content with the misdeeds committed so far, he then bit one of the police officers on the left forearm.
Despite the injury, the two Traffic Police officers subdued and arrested him.
The bitten Traffic Police officer was conveyed to the hospital to treat the laceration on his arm. He was discharged with three days of medical leave.
Police K9 Unit Searches Van for Contraband
After the arrest, the police found that the van driver had no valid driving licence, perhaps explaining his refusal to stop.
They then apparently suspected his van of potentially hiding suspicious contraband.
Shin Min Daily News reported that a witness saw a Police K9 unit searching through the van.
The assumption isn’t a stretch, as previously a man who fled at the sight of police near Aljunied MRT Station was found to be carrying duty-unpaid cigarettes.
It could be an explanation for the lengths the van driver went to to escape the Traffic Police.
However, Shin Min also alleged that the van only contained junk like clothes and school bags, alongside a red plastic bag of takeout lunch boxes.
The initial police statement listing his charges also does not include any mention of contraband, leaving the results of the search unconfirmed.
The boss of the company which owned the van said that the vehicle was used to deliver meals and transport bought ingredients.
She confirmed that her nephew was the arrested driver, but claimed total ignorance about what happened that day.
After being apprehended, the suspect added one more offence to his charges by allegedly failing to provide a urine sample to the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) on 25 July.
The arrested man was hit with eight charges in court today (26 July).
This included voluntarily causing hurt to deter a public servant from his duty, which sees a maximum sentence of seven years in jail and a fine or caning.
He faced multiple charges of unspecified traffic offences too, including dangerous driving. One count of that is punishable by up to 12 months in jail, a maximum fine of S$5,000, or both.
Lastly, for driving without a valid licence, he can be imprisoned for up to three years, get a fine of up to S$10,000, or both.
If he had not fled the inspection, he probably would have just received that final charge.
“The Police have zero tolerance for such brazen acts of violence against police officers and will not hesitate to take firm action,” stated the Commander of Traffic Police.
“He will bear the full brunt of his actions and will be dealt with severely in accordance with the law.”
