M’sian driver uses bus lane to avoid Woodlands Checkpoint jam, rams into auxiliary officer who stopped him

A Malaysian driver resorted to driving along the heavy vehicle lane at Woodlands Checkpoint to avoid a traffic jam, but later hit and severely injured an auxiliary police officer who tried to stop him.

The incident occurred at about 2.55pm on Sept 26, 2025, along the Causeway leading from Woodlands Checkpoint to the Malaysian checkpoint.

The accused, 27-year-old Malaysian national Suriya Ganisan, faced six charges under the Road Traffic Act, including dangerous driving and failing to stop after an accident to render assistance.

According to Shin Min Daily News, he pleaded guilty to three charges on July 8, with the remaining charges to be taken into consideration during sentencing. The case was adjourned to Aug 19 for sentencing.

Ignores officer’s instruction, hits another in the abdomen

Case details state that there are four lanes at Woodlands Checkpoint:

• First lane: Heavy vehicles
• Second and third lanes: Cars and other vehicles
• Fourth lane: Motorcycles

At about 2.50pm on the day of the incident, the accused arrived at the checkpoint intending to return to Malaysia. At the time, the second and third lanes were full, but the heavy vehicle lane remained clear.

After waiting in the queue, Suriya abruptly swerved into the heavy vehicle lane to bypass the congestion. He continued towards the checkpoint but was stopped by an auxiliary police officer just before clearing immigration.

The officer told him to make a U-turn and rejoin the queue, but Suriya ignored the instruction. Instead, he turned toward the car lane and drove past the officer.

A second auxiliary police officer, Muhamad Irzan bin Masrabi, then stepped in to stop the vehicle. However, the accused accelerated, crossed a double white line and continued driving.

Despite hitting Irzan in the abdomen and causing him to fall, Suriya continued driving.

The accused was eventually intercepted before he entered the Malaysian checkpoint and was instructed to make a U-turn back to Singapore. He complied with the instruction and was escorted back to Woodlands Checkpoint, where he was arrested.

Auxiliary police officer suffered fracture and spinal injury

Irzan was taken to hospital and diagnosed with an undisplaced sacral fracture and a cervical disc protrusion.

He was hospitalised for six days and discharged on Oct 1, but continues to experience pain from walking or sitting for prolonged periods.

He attended three follow-up medical appointments and was granted a total of 46 days of hospitalisation leave.

Although the accused was granted bail after his arrest, he chose to begin serving his sentence while awaiting the outcome of his case.

Accused apologises during mitigation

In mitigation, the accused said he deeply regretted what he had done and apologised to the auxiliary police officer.

The defence lawyer said the accused is from Perak, Malaysia, and that his family could not afford legal representation. He told the court he had taken on the case on a pro bono basis.

The lawyer added that the accused lacked the financial means to cover his living expenses in Singapore while waiting for the case to conclude, prompting him to begin serving his sentence instead.

He urged the court to impose a jail term of no more than 16 months, arguing that the accused had not been drink-driving, driving while fatigued, speeding, or using a mobile phone at the time. The only dangerous aspect of his driving, he said, was switching between lanes.

The defence also argued that the auxiliary police officer’s injuries were not the most severe compared to similar cases, appealing for leniency.

However, the prosecution noted that the victim had been granted 46 days of hospitalisation leave and stressed that the roads were busy at the time of the incident.

It argued that the accused’s actions could have resulted in a more serious accident and sought a sentence of between 28 months and six weeks and 29 months and eight weeks’ jail, along with a three-year disqualification from holding or obtaining all classes of driving licences.

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