Interchange supervisor restrained man who used fire extinguisher as weapon in Yishun, praised for courage

Tower Transit supervisor praised for role in stopping Yishun fire extinguisher incidents

A Tower Transit interchange supervisor has been acknowledged for his heroic role in two separate incidents in Yishun where individuals allegedly used fire extinguishers as weapons.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday (20 Jan), Tower Transit Singapore highlighted the actions of Interchange Supervisor Faisal and also Bus Captain Zaki, who intervened during a violent incident at Yishun Integrated Transport Hub (ITH) on Monday (19 Jan).

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) told MS News that they received a call for assistance at about 9.30am, and a person was conveyed to hospital.

Man allegedly assaulted staff and sprayed commuters

According to Tower Transit, a man physically assaulted a female service ambassador and sprayed commuters with a fire extinguisher at the transport hub.

Faisal and bus captain Zaki “immediately confronted the man and followed him into Northpoint City to protect the public”.

The man allegedly continued discharging the extinguisher and later threw it at a shopper inside the mall.

“Seeing a critical opening, Faisal rushed forward to restrain the man until the police arrived to make an arrest,” the post added.

73-year-old service ambassador taken to hospital

The Singapore Police Force (SPF) told MS News that they received a call for assistance at about 9.30am.

A 58-year-old man was arrested for being a public nuisance and for being of unsound mind, police said.

He is also being investigated for voluntarily causing hurt and mischief.

The Tower Transit service ambassador involved, a 73-year-old woman, was conscious when taken to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital.

Police investigations are ongoing.

Not his first time handling an incident involving a fire extinguisher

Tower Transit noted that this was not the first time Mr Faisal had shown courage in the face of danger.

In Dec 2022, he had “played a key role” in subduing another individual who was using a fire extinguisher to smash the windscreens of several buses at the Yishun ITH bus park.

“We are immensely proud of both IS Faisal and BC Zaki,” Tower Transit said.

“They acted decisively, putting themselves in danger to protect the community and their colleagues.”

Mall cooperating with authorities

A spokesperson for Northpoint City told The Straits Times (ST) that the mall’s security officers responded alongside Yishun ITH staff.

They also confirmed that the mall is cooperating with the authorities.

“The safety and well-being of our shoppers, tenants and staff remain our top priority, and mall operations continue as normal,” the spokesperson said.

Also read: Elderly woman sent to hospital after slipping on paint & falling in Yishun carpark