SINGAPORE - A recalcitrant offender consumed diazepam – used to treat anxiety disorders – and cough syrup without a prescription before he went on a rampage in Clementi while wielding a knife in February.

Soo Cheow Wee, who slashed a man with the knife, then took a taxi to Clementi Police Divisional Headquarters, where he was shot in the left arm after a stand-off with police officers.

Soo, 50, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to two counts of criminal intimidation.

He also admitted to one count each of voluntarily causing hurt to a public servant and using a knife to assault a man.

Soo, who had been in and out of jail for drug abuse and violence-related offences, went to Geylang on Feb 17, 2022, where he consumed cough syrup and diazepam.

He then went to his mother's flat in Clementi where he called the police and said: "Someone wants to kill me and my mother. I don't know how to explain."

Soo left the unit with a knife and claimed that a voice had told him to randomly target passers-by to slash.

Mr Wong Wei Jie, 41, was out on a stroll at around 8.40pm when he spotted Soo behaving suspiciously in the vicinity.

Deputy Public Prosecutor R. Arvindren said: "When Wong was very close to the accused, the accused suddenly took out the knife and swung it towards Wong's head. Wong used his hand to block the attack and the accused used the knife to slash Wong's hand."

Mr Wong managed to get away by running towards a nearby supermarket.

Soo later flagged down a taxi and told the driver, Mr Goh Wui Teck, 61, that he wanted to go to Clementi Police Division.

They were nearing the police headquarters when Soo opened the left rear passenger door and tried to alight while the taxi was still moving.

Mr Goh stopped the vehicle and Soo fell onto the road. When Mr Goh alighted to check on Soo, Soo charged at him brandishing the knife. The taxi driver managed to run away and Soo then approached the entrance of Clementi Police Division, shouting incoherently.

He suddenly charged at one officer, a 20-year-old man whose name and rank was redacted from court documents.

The policeman fired his service revolver at Soo, who fell to the ground after the round struck his left arm, the court heard.

Soo was arrested and taken to National University Hospital. He was discharged on Feb 25.

The court also heard on Tuesday that in a previous incident on June 9, 2019, Soo, who had walked out of Kampong Java Neighbourhood Police Centre at around 6pm after being released on bail for drug-related offences, returned to the guardhouse to speak to two auxiliary police officers on duty at the time.

He told the officers, including Sergeant Saini Karim, 51, that he had to return to the police lock-up as there were purportedly people outside who wanted to kill him.

Soo tried to enter the premises through a gantry before punching Sgt Saini's face three times.

Soo was arrested and later admitted that he had consumed cough syrup without a prescription.

On Tuesday, the DPP urged the court to call for a report to assess Soo's suitability for corrective training – a prison regime for repeat offenders.

He said: "The accused had reoffended with consistent regularity. He has also proven himself to be a habitual offender with blatant disregard for the law."

Soo's lawyers, Mr Chooi Jing Yen and Mr Ng Yuan Siang from Eugene Thuraisingam LLP, said he was suffering from substance-induced psychosis at the time of the offences and asked that he be given not more than a year's jail.

Deputy Principal District Judge Luke Tan said that Soo had a problem but did not seem to want to treat it.

He also said: "Random people were going about, he had a knife, he chased after a few. Thankfully, those people were able-bodied and could run."

The judge called for a corrective training suitability report and Soo will be sentenced on Oct 26.