Malaysian driver apologises after hitting auxiliary police officer at Woodlands Checkpoint while cutting queue
A Malaysian driver pleaded guilty on Wednesday (8 July) to charges linked to an incident at Woodlands Checkpoint, where he struck an auxiliary police officer with his car and seriously injured him.
The 27-year-old, identified as Suriya Ganisan, had driven into a lane meant for heavy vehicles in an attempt to bypass traffic on the Causeway.
Malaysian driver used heavy-vehicle lane to avoid queue
At about 2.50pm on 26 Sept 2025, Suriya arrived at Woodlands Checkpoint in a Malaysia-registered car, intending to head towards Johor.
There was already a long queue at the checkpoint, but the lane meant for heavy vehicles was clear.
After waiting in traffic for some time, Suriya cut into the heavy-vehicle lane to skip the congestion.
Source: Google Maps, for illustration purposes only
As he approached the checkpoint, an auxiliary police officer stopped him and instructed him to make a U-turn before rejoining the queue.
However, Suriya ignored the instruction.
He instead turned back into the car lanes and continued driving forward.
Driver hit auxiliary police officer and continued towards Malaysia
Another auxiliary police officer then stepped forward to stop Suriya’s car.
Instead of stopping, Suriya accelerated and drove across double white lines.
His car then struck the officer in the abdomen, causing the officer to fall.
Source: Google Maps, for illustration purposes only
Suriya continued driving along the Causeway without stopping to assist the injured officer.
He was eventually stopped before entering the Malaysia checkpoint and told to return to Singapore.
He complied and was arrested after being escorted back to Woodlands Checkpoint.
Victim received 46 days of hospitalisation leave
According to Shin Min Daily News, the victim was taken to hospital after the incident and diagnosed with an undisplaced sacrum fracture.
The sacrum is a bone located at the base of the spine.
He also suffered a cervical disc protrusion at the C3/C4 level, located in the neck area.
The victim was hospitalised for six days and discharged on 1 Oct. However, he continued to experience pain when walking or sitting for extended periods.
He later attended three follow-up appointments and was given 46 days of hospitalisation leave.
Suriya was handed five charges under the Road Traffic Act, including dangerous driving, failing to stop after an accident, and failing to provide his particulars or assistance.
He pleaded guilty to three charges, with the remaining charges taken into consideration for sentencing.
Driver says he is remorseful and apologises to injured officer
In court, Suriya said he was deeply remorseful, admitted that he should not have acted the way he did, and apologised to the injured auxiliary police officer.
During mitigation, his defence lawyer said he was representing Suriya pro bono as his family could not afford legal fees.
The defence also said Suriya was not driving under the influence of alcohol, had not fallen asleep at the wheel, was not speeding, and was not using his mobile phone while driving.
The lawyer argued that the dangerous act involved Suriya switching between lanes, and submitted that the officer’s injuries were not among the most severe compared with similar cases.
He asked the court to consider a jail term of not more than 16 months.
Prosecution seeks more than 28 months’ jail
The prosecution, however, argued that Suriya’s actions occurred amid busy traffic conditions and could have resulted in a more serious accident.
It also pointed out that the victim had been given 46 days of hospitalisation leave due to his injuries.
Taking these factors into account, the prosecution sought a jail term of between 28 months and six weeks, and 29 months and eight weeks.
It also asked for Suriya to be disqualified from holding all classes of driving licences for three years.
The judge deferred sentencing to 19 Aug.
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Featured image adapted from Google Maps and by MS News, for illustration purposes only.
