Man, 53, arrested after incident near Tampines MRT station where one person was found injured

SINGAPORE – A 53-year-old man was arrested on Dec 19 for voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons after an incident that left a man injured near Tampines MRT station earlier that evening.

The police said they received several calls for assistance in the area at about 5.55pm.

Upon arrival, police officers found an injured man and attended to his injuries, together with officers from the Singapore Civil Defence Force.

He was conscious when taken to hospital.

In an update in the early hours of Dec 20, police said that through follow-up investigations, they established the identity of a 53-year-old man who was believed to be involved in the case, and subsequently arrested him within six hours.

Speaking to The Straits Times, an eyewitness who did not want to be named said he was in the area with his family at about 6pm when he saw a man in a white shirt with bloodstains on the side of his body.

The man, who appeared to be in his 40s, was speaking to another person while walking from Tampines MRT station towards a traffic light near Tampines Mall.

He had left a trail of blood behind him.

When ST arrived at the scene at about 7pm, the police had cordoned off a stretch along a walkway on the ground level of the MRT station, across the road from Tampines Mall.

Drops of blood could be seen along a 30m stretch of the walkway, still crowded with shoppers and commuters returning home from work.

Officers from the Singapore Police Force Public Transport Security Command (TransCom) were also seen on-site. Other than doing daily foot patrols at MRT stations and bus interchanges, TransCom officers conduct operations such as ambushes to catch suspects of crime.

Two police cars were seen parked beside a pedestrian walkway nearby.

Employees of shops in the area said they heard a commotion at the temporary shelter set up for night markets, which is next to the MRT station.

According to one eyewitness, the man who was bloodied walked about 10m to the steps leading to the pavement outside the station and sat down.

He then walked about 30m along the pavement to a traffic light crossing. An ambulance and police officers arrived soon after.

Staff at the U-Taste eatery said there had been an argument in the tentage area opposite the shop, which is located at Block 513 Tampines Central 1.

They said their view was obstructed by the awning outside the shop, but they believe the victim sustained knife wounds as he was bleeding profusely.