Man who scuffled with policemen charged with assault

Three police officers were injured when trying to subdue a 41-year-old man on Friday (Aug 4) morning. PHOTO: FACEBOOK
Three police officers were injured when trying to subdue a 41-year-old man on Friday (Aug 4) morning. PHOTO: FACEBOOK

The man who allegedly got into a scuffle with three policemen in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10 was charged in court with three counts of assault yesterday.

Singaporean Ampalagam Alagu, 41, is accused of causing grievous hurt to Special Constable Corporal Galvin Tey Zhi Peng near Block 405 at around 9.15am on Friday.

He allegedly caused the officer to suffer a fractured left thumb.

Ampalagam is also accused of causing hurt to Senior Station Inspector Geok Joong Yin and Special Constable Hung Yung Wei.

He allegedly used physical force on all three policemen during arrest that day.

Responding to media queries last Friday, the police said in a statement that one officer had to be warded in Tan Tock Seng Hospital due to head injuries, while another is recovering from a broken thumb bone.

The statement came after a two-minute video showing three police officers tussling with the suspect was posted on Facebook on Friday evening.

In it, two passers-by stepped in to help two officers pin down the man after another officer was thrown off in the struggle.

Other eyewitnesses helped the policeman off his feet and moved him on to a nearby bench.

Police said the suspect had attempted to flee on foot after officers caught him riding his motorcycle recklessly along the pavement.

He turned violent when the three officers caught up with him.

"The police take a serious view of hurt against police officers who are discharging their duties. The police thank members of the public who stepped forward to assist in the arrest," the statement said.

Ampalagam is now remanded for a psychiatric evaluation at the Institute of Mental Health and will be back in court on Aug 18.

If convicted of causing grievous hurt to a policeman, he can be jailed up to 15 years and fined or caned.

If convicted of causing hurt to an officer, he can be jailed up to seven years and fined or caned for each charge.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on August 06, 2017, with the headline Man who scuffled with policemen charged with assault. Subscribe