Guns N' Roses concertgoer fined for damaging taxi by kicking door and breaking side mirror

SINGAPORE - A man who was drunk had just attended the Guns N' Roses concert in Changi and was looking for a cab when he saw a limo taxi.

Beljinder Singh Tara Singh, 43, ended up kicking the taxi's side door and breaking its side mirror when the driver refused to ferry him as he was waiting to pick up a private passenger after the concert at Changi Exhibition Centre.

Singh, a shipyard worker, was fined $2,000 on Monday (Dec 4) after he admitted to committing mischief in Aviation Park Road on Feb 25.

Investigations showed that Mr Wong Wai Xin, 37, was driving a white Mercedes-Benz taxi to pick up a passenger for a private booking after the Guns N' Roses concert that evening.

Singh approached the driver's side door of the taxi, while Mr Wong had his window wound down while waiting for his passenger to call. Singh asked him if he could take the taxi but the victim declined, saying he was waiting for a private passenger.

Agitated, Singh started shouting at Mr Wong. He tried to pull the driver's side door handle but it was locked. The victim wound up his car window and called the police.

While waiting for the police to arrive, Singh punched the driver's side window multiple times while shouting. Mr Wong called the police again as he was worried that Singh would be able to get into the taxi.

He then saw Singh meddling with the driver's right side mirror using his hands. Singh managed to remove the mirror from the casing and subsequently broke the side mirror casing.

Eventually, Singh lay on the taxi's bonnet and fell asleep until the police arrived. Mr Wong's taxi was subsequently towed away and he could not ferry his passenger.

Singh admitted to drinking four bottles of beer and a quarter bottle of whisky during the concert. He has made compensation of $1,486 for damage to the taxi, which has since been handed over to ComfortDelGro.

He could have been jailed for up to one year and/or fined for mischief.

Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.