Singaporean charged after alleged armed brawl near JB checkpoint, seen pushing and shouting at cops
A 46-year-old Singaporean man has been charged in Johor Bahru after an alleged armed brawl near the checkpoint, during which he was also seen confronting Malaysian police officers.
Gary Lim Kian Liang pleaded not guilty on Aug 20 to three charges, including possessing a dangerous weapon, obstructing a police officer and voluntarily causing hurt with a dangerous weapon, reported Malay Mail.
The incident occurred near the Sultan Iskandar Building, which houses the Johor Bahru Customs, Immigration and Quarantine complex, shortly after midnight on Aug 16.
Man seen confronting police officers
A witness, 40-year-old Mr Teo, told Shin Min Daily News that he was preparing to return to Singapore when he saw a man dressed in black and two Malaysian police officers pushing and shoving one another on the road.
A Singapore-registered car, believed to belong to the man, was stopped in one of the lanes.
“They were at a standstill for nearly 20 minutes, but I wasn’t sure what exactly had happened,” said Teo.
Videos of the incident showed the man repeatedly pushing one of the officers while another tried to intervene and calm him down.
The man could also be seen pacing around, shouting and gesturing at the officers, at one point pointing his finger at an officer several times.
One officer was seen wrapping his arms around the man from behind in an attempt to restrain and calm him, but the man continued shouting and gesturing as though he wanted to hit someone.
Another clip showed the trio walking towards the Sultan Iskandar Building and getting into two more confrontations along the way, at one point obstructing traffic.
A Singapore-registered BMW could also be seen nearby.
Dispute allegedly led to brawl
Johor Bahru South police chief Assistant Commissioner Azrul Hisham Mohd Shaffei said police became aware of a video circulating online showing a man obstructing two traffic police officers from carrying out their duties.
Police subsequently established that the incident was linked to an earlier fight.
Preliminary investigations found that a dispute involving three Malaysian men and a Singaporean had escalated into a fight in which weapons were allegedly used.
Two traffic police officers on duty at the checkpoint tried to intervene, but the Singaporean allegedly provoked them, reported Shin Min.
Four men aged between 25 and 46 were arrested, while a knife and motorcycle helmet believed to have been used during the altercation were seized, said New Straits Times.
Two of the suspects had a combined 16 previous criminal and drug offences, according to Malaysian police. All the men tested negative for drugs during preliminary screening.
Singaporean faces 3 charges
Lim was subsequently charged in the Johor Bahru Sessions and Magistrates Courts on Aug 20.
According to Malay Mail, he allegedly possessed an 8.5cm knife without a valid permit at about 12.15am on Aug 16 along Jalan Lingkaran Dalam towards the Sultan Iskandar Building.
He was also accused of intentionally obstructing Lance Corporal Mohd Rahimi Mohd Ali from carrying out his duties at the same location and time.
A third charge involves allegedly injuring a 30-year-old Malaysian woman with a dangerous weapon at about 11.58pm on Aug 15.
Lim pleaded not guilty to all three charges.
His lawyer told the court that Lim is a restaurant owner in Singapore, is married and supports his elderly mother. He also said Lim suffers from mental health issues that require ongoing treatment.
The court granted him bail of RM20,000 (S$6,100) with three local sureties. His case is scheduled for mention on Sept 25.
A Malaysian man, 28-year-old G. Thinesh Kumar, was separately charged with allegedly injuring Lim with a motorcycle helmet during the altercation.
He also pleaded not guilty and was granted bail of RM5,000 with one local surety. His case will be mentioned on Sept 14.
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