Man armed with saw in Bedok arrested for public nuisance and suspected drug abuse
A man wielding a saw was arrested at Bedok North Street 3 on July 5 for public nuisance, possession of an offensive weapon in a public place and suspected consumption of a controlled drug.
In response to a Stomp query about a video circulating online, the police said that at about 3.25pm, they received a call for assistance at Block 539 Bedok North Street 3.
Officers arriving at the scene found the 55-year-old man holding a saw and swinging it around, according to the police statement.
“Despite repeated warnings from officers to drop the weapon, the man refused to comply and kept shouting incoherently. In order to de-escalate and contain the situation, the officers deployed a taser to stop the man, who was then placed under arrest,” the statement said.
The man was conveyed conscious to the hospital and no other injuries were reported.
The police added that the suspected drug-related offence has been referred to the Central Narcotics Bureau, and that investigations are ongoing.
The video in question shows a group of police officers, several armed with automatic weapons and one holding on to the man’s saw as evidence, surrounding a man on the ground.
The video then cuts to a different angle of the scene, and from the elevated view, the man is seen handcuffed and face down, before he is turned on his side.
He is then seen on a wheeled ambulance stretcher with paramedics attending to him before the video ends.
The video, shared on Facebook page, Singapore Incidents, was shared on July 5 and has since garnered 91,000 views, 803 reactions and 197 comments.
Several netizens were critical of the police for deploying so many officers though there were those who felt it was a good thing.
“It’s a good sign that so many officers show up on scene when there is an incident like this. This shows that our Home Team are always ready to tackle threats within our neighbourhoods,” said a Facebook user.
Another said that one officer could do the job but conceded that he would have had to overpower the man “with brute force”.
“Unless that one (police officer) is Steven Segal or Jackie Chan…if not, better play safe,” said a netizen in response.
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