Man jailed for hitting elderly man and injuring woman with e-scooter on pedestrian bridge

Victor Chin, who works as a driver, was sentenced to two weeks' jail after pleading guilty to two counts of causing hurt by behaving in a rash manner. ST PHOTO: WONG KWAI CHOW

SINGAPORE - Ignoring a sign telling e-scooter riders to "dismount and push", a man rode his device onto a pedestrian bridge and it hit an elderly man who fell.

Instead of waiting for the police to arrive, Victor Chin, 37, decided to flee on his e-scooter.

Another pedestrian, Ms Soh Zhi Wen, 29, tried to stop him by holding onto its handle, which hit her right wrist when Chin continued riding.

She then fell and hit her face against some railings.

Chin, who works as a driver, was sentenced on Thursday (July 18) to two weeks' jail after pleading guilty to two counts of causing hurt by behaving in a rash manner.

On June 9 last year around 7.30am, Chin on his e-scooter reached a bridge connecting Clementi Avenue 4 to Sunset Way and which spans a canal.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Sarah Ong said there were many pedestrians on it at the time.

While riding on the bridge, Chin tried to squeeze through a gap between two pedestrians, the court heard.

The right handle of his e-scooter hit Mr Cheong Yik Choong's right elbow and the 72-year-old man fell.

Some passers-by immediately detained Chin and one of them alerted the police.

Ms Soh, who was keeping an eye on Chin, momentarily turned away to check if the police had arrived.

The DPP said: "At the same time, the accused decided to flee from the scene and started his e-scooter... Soh then tried to stop the accused by holding onto the handle of his e- scooter."

Chin ignored Ms Soh and had ridden away by the time police arrived at the scene around 7.45am.

Mr Cheong's daughter later created a Facebook post about the incident to find more information about Chin from netizens.

DPP Ong said that, based on Chin's distinctive attire - he was then wearing a helmet and a ski mask - he was identified, and his particulars given to Mr Cheong's daughter. She then passed them on to the police.

Chin surrendered himself to the police around 10.30pm that day.

The court heard Mr Cheong was treated at the National University Hospital and was found with superficial wounds on his right elbow. Ms Soh did not seek any medical help.

Chin is now out on bail of $10,000 and was ordered to surrender himself at the State Courts on July 26 to begin his jail term.

For each count of causing hurt by behaving in a rash manner, Chin could have been jailed for up to a year and fined up to $5,000.

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