Police officers brandishing their guns or revolvers in Singapore are rare, so such news tend to come as a shock to many. A raid in Balestier today (5 Nov) that turned awry apparently warranted that, causing a suspect to sustain a gunshot wound.
2 police officers at the scene also sustained injuries from the struggle.
The 36-year-old suspect is currently in stable condition.
According to Channel NewsAsia (CNA), 3 police officers had entered a residential unit at City Suites, along 235 Balestier Road, at 1am on Thursday (5 Nov).
They did so as part of a raid on suspects who were under investigation for a string of cheating cases.
Once inside, a 36-year-old man “suddenly lunged” at an officer and started to attack him multiple times, causing him to collapse to the ground with facial injuries.
Despite warnings from a second officer to stop, the man allegedly continued, while a second suspect, a 22-year-old man, appeared ready to join in.
Assessing the potential danger at hand, the second officer drew his revolver, at which point the first suspect attempted to seize it.
Source
During the struggle, a shot fired reportedly wounded the 36-year-old suspect, but didn’t deter him from his attempt to grab the gun.
The 22-year-old meanwhile proceeded to assault the first officer.
The tussle apparently ended when backup officers arrived and subdued the men, reports The Straits Times (ST).
The assault left one officer with injuries to his face and arm, and hands and lips for the other.
Both the 22-year-old and 36-year-old will face charges for voluntarily causing hurt and obstructing public servants from carrying out their duties. They’re also under investigation for cheating offences.
The latter faces other charges including drug and custom-related offences, as well as being a member of an unlawful assembly.
At the time of the incident, 2 other suspects, 2 women aged 23 and 33, were also in the unit.
CNA reports that the police arrested both for cheating and suspected drug consumption, while the latter also had a record for failing to attend a court proceeding.
Image for illustration purposes only
Source
Police additionally seized $20,000 worth of drugs, drug-related paraphernalia, as well as possible earnings from their crimes.
Following the raid, 3 others – two 18-year-olds and a 32-year-old – were arrested for their involvement in the cheating cases.
According to ST, their crimes reportedly involved using strangers’ personal details like credit card info to register for phone lines and buy mobile phones.
They then sold the gadgets and kept their earnings.
Unfortunately, the scam rendered the telcos unable to claim payments, as the transactions were rejected. This cost them a total of $42,000.
The Singapore Police Force (SPF) revealed that the 36-year-old man is in stable condition in the hospital after sustaining a gunshot wound to his abdomen.
We hope that the 2 officers are also making a speedy recovery.
Kudos to the police for risking their lives in such dangerous situations in order to serve justice and protect the country.
May the offenders pay their dues, and the victims receive closure as well as assistance from the respective parties.
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Featured image adapted from Google Maps.
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