Suspect in hit-and-run accidents charged with drug trafficking

The suspect fleeing his car before it hit a black parked car. Preliminary investigations revealed that the man's car first hit a taxi in Geylang Bahru Road before this accident. He was arrested last Friday, and substances suspected to be controlled d
The suspect fleeing his car before it hit a black parked car. Preliminary investigations revealed that the man's car first hit a taxi in Geylang Bahru Road before this accident. He was arrested last Friday, and substances suspected to be controlled drugs were found on him. PHOTO: SG ROAD VIGILANTE/YOUTUBE

A 37-year-old man has been arrested for his suspected involvement in two hit-and-run accidents and charged with drug trafficking.

In a joint statement yesterday evening, the Singapore Police Force and the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) said they were alerted to the two accidents in Geylang Bahru Road and St George's Road last Wednesday at about 11.30am.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the man's car first hit a taxi in Geylang Bahru Road towards Bendemeer Road and later collided with a parked car near Block 22 St George's Road.

The man abandoned his car after the second accident and fled on foot, said the police.

With the help of closed-circuit television images and groundwork, officers from the Central Police Division and CNB established the man's identity and arrested him in Sing Joo Walk last Friday.

Substances suspected to be controlled drugs were found on him and, during a subsequent search, at a residential unit in Sing Joo Walk in the Kallang area.

The man suffered a fit during the arrest, and an ambulance was activated immediately to take him to Changi General Hospital. His condition has since stabilised.

Investigations are ongoing. The man was charged at Changi General Hospital yesterday with trafficking in Class A controlled drugs.

A video posted on YouTube last Thursday shows the man making his escape by jumping out of his white BMW coupe before it hits a black parked car.

The police issued an appeal to the public last Friday to look out for the man, attaching a photo of him in its statement.

He was believed to have been trying to get away from a Land Transport Authority official, who spotted him in Geylang Bahru Road and suspected he was displaying a false licence plate.

But he did not stop as instructed and drove off.

Clement Yong

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on November 10, 2019, with the headline Suspect in hit-and-run accidents charged with drug trafficking. Subscribe