SINGAPORE - A man who allegedly attacked seven people with a chopper in the Commonwealth area on Feb 3 had acted alone, and there was nothing to suggest it was an act of terror, preliminary police investigations revealed.

During a press conference on Feb 4, police said the 20-year-old had allegedly hurt seven people aged between six and 76 with a small knife, a chopper and his bare hands.

All the victims had superficial injuries and three were taken to hospital for outpatient treatment, the police said.

The motive for the attack is not known at this juncture, The Straits Times understands.

The suspect will be charged in court on Feb 5 with voluntarily causing hurt with dangerous weapons. The man did not have any prior criminal record, said police.

A court order will be sought for him to be remanded at the Institute of Mental Health for psychiatric assessment.

ST understands that the suspect allegedly attacked the first victim, a 45-year-old woman, near Margaret Drive Hawker Centre, but she did not call for police assistance.

Police said they subsequently received a call about a man holding a chopper running towards 301 Commonwealth Avenue at about 7.05pm.

The second and third victims were attacked at the first-floor lift lobby of a nearby Housing Board block.

The police said the suspect then fled to the vicinity of the hawker centre, where he allegedly attacked his fourth victim.

He then went to the Alexandra Park Connector, where the fifth, sixth and seventh victims were attacked.

The police arrested the suspect at 1 Dundee Road, about 400m away, with the help of five members of the public who managed to pin down the man at 7.18pm.

The attack left two men, aged 76 and 40, and a six-year-old girl with minor injuries. They were conscious when taken to the National University Hospital and received outpatient treatment there.

Three other men, aged 54, 21 and 20, and the 45-year-old woman also had minor injuries, but declined further medical assistance.

At the press conference, three men – Mr Mok Kwong Heng, 61, Mr Gangatharan Saravanan, 28, and Mr Emmanuel Ee, 21 – were presented with the Public Spiritedness Award for their help in detaining the suspect before the police arrived.

When ST visited the area, eyewitnesses said they detected signs of trouble at around 7pm when a woman ran through Margaret Market, a small mall beside the hawker centre, yelling for help as someone had tried to strangle her. 

A food stall operator, who gave his name only as Mr Goh, said the suspect fled the area but soon returned.

Mr Mok, a cleaner at the hawker centre, said he was on his way to a Chinese New Year event with several stall owners when the suspect ran past them, waving a chopper and chasing three teenagers.

As the suspect ran past the group, one of them, Mr Neo Chin Lee, 76, chairman of the Hawker’s Association of Margaret Drive, was allegedly struck by the chopper in the back of his head.

“He didn’t hit me very hard, but there was some bleeding from the back of my head,” said Mr Neo, showing a shallow wound behind his right ear.

Concerned for bystanders’ safety, the group followed the suspect at a distance, warning pedestrians to stay clear, said Western food stall operator Lim Boon Chit, 58.

Mr Gangatharan said he was on his way to Sheng Siong supermarket when he heard people shouting. Seeing the suspect chasing people with a chopper, he began to follow him.

He said the suspect could not run as he kept slipping on the ground, which was wet after a downpour.

As the suspect turned into the park connector, Mr Ee, who was on a bicycle, stopped to help. He said the suspect was wearing a mask and looked confused.

The group kept up the chase before cornering him at a guard post at Queens Peak condominium in Dundee Road.

There, armed with plastic chairs and poles, three of the group managed to pin the man down until the police arrived.

On Feb 4, it was business as usual at the hawker centre, with a steady flow of diners. 

Mr Lim, the stallholder, said the young man was a familiar face at the hawker centre. He had been a patron even when the stall was at Tanglin Halt, before it relocated to Margaret Drive Hawker Centre in 2023.

“He would order food from us every two to three weeks and eat quietly by himself,” Mr Lim said.

Mr Lim added that his grandchildren frequent the area, and the thought of what might have happened had they been there that night was part of the reason he helped chase down the attacker.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Serene Chiu, who is Commander of the Clementi Police Division, commended the five people who detained the offender before the police’s arrival.

“Their bravery and intervention stopped the actions of the offender from causing further harm to the public,” she said.

Those found guilty of voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons can be jailed for up to seven years, fined and caned.