SMRT employee suspended from frontline work after knocking man off skateboard at Esplanade station
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SMRT said it is "sorry that our staff member overreacted".
PHOTOS: SCREENGRABS FROM SGFOLLOWSALL/INSTAGRAM
Toh Ting Wei
SINGAPORE - An employee of rail operator SMRT has been suspended after barging into a man and knocking him off his skateboard at Esplanade MRT station.
A report has been made over the incident, and the employee is assisting the Public Transport Security Command in investigations, said SMRT in a Facebook post on Saturday (Aug 21).
A video of the incident was posted on the Sgfollowsall account on Instagram.
In it, a man in a yellow top is seen riding on a skateboard towards a staircase at the entrance of the MRT station.
Another man in a red jacket charges towards him and knocks him off the skateboard before he can reach the stairs.
SMRT said the incident occurred at about 10.25pm on Friday.
"A station staff member saw the person skateboarding within the station and told him that skateboarding is not permitted within station premises for the safety of commuters," said SMRT.
"When the staff member saw that the person was skateboarding towards the stairs which other commuters were using, the staff member ran towards the person to stop him from doing so."
SMRT said it is "sorry that our staff member overreacted".
The man who was knocked off the skateboard did not seek medical attention at the station immediately after the incident.
The staff member has been suspended from front-line duties, but will work in a backend role.
The man who was knocked off the skateboard did not seek medical attention at the station immediately after the incident.
The staff member has been suspended from front-line duties, but will work in a backend role.
The case has parallels with one in 2019 in which a Certis officer brought down a speeding personal mobility device rider with a gongfu-style kick.
A video of the incident, captured by a vehicle dashcam, was shared widely on the Internet.
A Certis spokesman told The Straits Times earlier this month that the police issued the enforcement officer with a 12-month conditional warning on June 18 last year for committing a rash act. The officer was let go by Certis the same month.
Clarification note: SMRT has clarified that the employee has been suspended from frontline duties, but will work in a backend role.
