Man arrested for rash act after locking himself in Woodlands flat; elite forces activated

SINGAPORE – A 23-year-old man was arrested for rash act on May 20 after he locked himself in a Woodlands HDB flat and was considered a potential danger to himself.

Officers from the police’s Special Operations Command and Crisis Negotiation Unit, and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) attended to the incident.

In response to media queries, the police said they received a call for assistance at Block 687A Woodlands Drive 75 at about 6pm that day.

The man had locked himself in the flat, the police said.

When The Straits Times arrived at the scene at about 9pm, an inflatable safety air pack was seen deployed at the foot of the block.

A man was spotted throwing wine bottles out of the window of a second-floor unit, while members of SCDF’s Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (DART) were seen outside the unit and on the fourth floor.

Shattered glass was also seen strewn across the void deck.

In videos shared with ST, 10 police cars, two vehicles belonging to the Special Operations Command and several SCDF vehicles can be seen at the site.

The area was cordoned off, with bystanders gathered nearby.

The elite forces from the police and SCDF were called in when the 23-year-old was assessed to potentially pose a danger to himself.

DART rescuers were on standby as a precautionary measure, SCDF said in a media reply, adding that it deployed a safety life air pack.

After about four hours, police officers managed to enter the flat at about 10.20pm, the police said, adding that the man was arrested for rash act.

At about 11pm, he was seen on a stretcher leaving the unit and put into an ambulance.

The man was taken conscious to Woodlands Hospital, said SCDF and the police.

Investigations are ongoing.