Target of sword attack among six 'everyday heroes' lauded

Mr Amila Chinthana was waiting at a traffic junction in Buangkok Crescent on Monday afternoon when he saw a man swinging a sword in the middle of the road.

He started recording the incident on his mobile phone when the man turned on him.

"He just ran towards me and slashed me three times," said Mr Chinthana, 35, who owns delivery service firm Kingsmen Movers.

Despite being slashed, he managed to pin his assailant down after the latter slipped and fell, while another four men came to his rescue.

The five men and a woman who called the police were presented with the Public Spiritedness Award by Ang Mo Kio Police Division yesterday for restraining the armed assailant and stopping him from causing more harm to the public while waiting for the police.

The attacker, Fadhil Yusop, 37, will be charged today with voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means.

The Internal Security Department said yesterday that Fadhil had allegedly consumed some unknown pills prior to leaving his home with the sword.

After a brief altercation with some people at his lift lobby, he allegedly used the weapon to hit five passing cars, the police said.

Fadhil had slipped after charging at Mr Chinthana. "It was very lucky that the floor was very slippery and he fell. I managed to get a grip on his legs and held him down tightly," Mr Chinthana told The Straits Times.

He said he suffered a cut on his left shoulder that was longer than 10cm, as well as superficial wounds on his left hand and below his neck.

He also has bruises on his elbows and knees from tussling with the attacker.

He said he had used his grocery bags to fend off the attacker, but did not think of fleeing despite the risk of getting seriously injured.

"I'm not a man who gets scared easily - I don't know if this is in my blood. I knew that I could run, but somehow, I was still standing there," he said.

Mr Lim Jun Yi, 20, a student at Temasek Polytechnic who was also at the traffic junction, came to Mr Chinthana's aid as he was wrestling Fadhil.

Mr Lim, who was on the way home after buying lunch from McDonald's, said he had not paid much attention when the man was obstructing vehicles on the road.

But the electronic engineering major said he did not hesitate to help Mr Chinthana when the man attacked the latter aggressively.

"At that moment, I knew I had two choices. I could cross the road, or I could help him," he said.

"When I saw the man strike him, I decided for sure - I wanted to help him. As much as there were risks, I didn't give much thought to it. I just wanted to make sure that he's safe, and that the man didn't hurt anyone else."

They were aided by Mr Rabbani Zaini, 28, Mr Lim Jiajing, 27, and Singapore Civil Defence Force officer Naufal Ahmadsubronto, 29, who happened to be in the area, while Ms Koh Jia Xin, 28, called the police.

One of the men later tossed the sword a safe distance away while the others pinned down the attacker.

Yesterday, Mr Rabbani, a case manager at Angsana Home, said the awardees agreed that it had been difficult to hold the man down as he struggled for a long time.

He said his niece, who learnt of the incident from her mother, messaged him: "You're my hero."

Mr Chinthana, who was caught on a viral video of the incident giving his mobile number to a passer-by, said: "I received over 500 calls and about 267 messages. Many people were offering me money and asking me how I was."

Mr Chinthana, who is originally from Sri Lanka, said the Sri Lankan news outlets had caught wind of the incident and approached him as well.

Assistant Commissioner Zed Teo, commander of Ang Mo Kio Police Division, said: "We are proud to have such everyday heroes in our community. Their actions demonstrate how the police work hand in hand with the community to keep Singapore safe and secure."