Man arrested in Ang Mo Kio flat after 13-hour stand-off with police
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Jalelah Abu Baker
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SINGAPORE - A man who locked himself and his mother in their Ang Mo Kio flat since Thursday (March 31) night has been arrested after a 13-hour stand-off with the police.
The police said they were alerted to the incident at Block 508, Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8, on Thursday night when the man did not open the door to some Central Narcotics Bureau officers.
It is believed that he had threatened to kill himself and his mother.
The elite police units Star and Special Operations Command were then activated. Officers managed to break into the eighth-floor unit at about 10am on Friday (April 1).
PHOTO: SHIN MIN
Some residents from the floors below and above the flat were asked to evacuate.
Retiree Wee Lai Huat, 70, who lives next door, told The Straits Times that the man and his mother had been living in the unit for about eight years.
"They had a loud quarrel last year," he added.
It is believed that at least three knives were retrieved from the flat.
Neighbours said the man would sit at the staircase and talk to himself. They added that he could also be heard yelling every day.
Knives retrieved from the flat.
PHOTO: SHIN MIN
The Singapore Civil Defence Force said that they were alerted to the incident at 9.05pm on Thursday. They set up a safety life air pack at the foot of the block and rescue nets at the front and back of the block as precautionary measures.
A spokesman added that no one requested medical attention.
The elderly woman who was held captive is now relieved, a relative said. The relative, who was seen helping to pack the house in gloves, did not want to be identified.
