Tampines dispute turns violent as man allegedly strikes neighbour’s boyfriend with bucket until it breaks
A heated neighbourhood dispute in Tampines allegedly turned violent when a man repeatedly struck his neighbour’s boyfriend over the head with a plastic bucket along the corridor.
Speaking to Stomp, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) confirmed that the incident took place at Block 492F Tampines Street 45 on June 5.
Broken bucket leaves gash on victim’s neck
The following day on June 6, TikTok user @itsmalcolmmak, believed to be the victim, shared CCTV footage of the incident outside the unit.
The clip showed a man in a red shirt approaching the family’s flat at around 10.24pm and splashing water towards the unit with a bottle before walking away.
About three minutes later, he returned carrying a plastic bucket and was seen throwing water at the flat’s front door while hurling insults.
Shortly afterwards, a female resident and her boyfriend, who was wearing a pink jersey, appeared to confront the man in the corridor off-screen.
The confrontation then turned physical when the man in red raised the plastic bucket and slammed it onto the boyfriend’s head several times until it cracked.
The bucket was briefly lodged over the man’s head, and he suffered a gash on the side of his neck.
According to Shin Min Daily News, the injury measured about 5cm in length.
Earlier clips also showed the individuals repeatedly banging on the family’s iron-mesh gate at night while shouting profanities.
Neighbour dispute triggered by noise accusations
Speaking to Shin Min, the man in the red shirt, surnamed Zhuo (transliteration), admitted he was the man seen in the video.
He claimed he retaliated only after the other party splashed water on him.
Zhuo and his wife also claimed they had been frustrated with the neighbouring household for some time.
“They are very noisy and talk loudly every night from 7pm to 8pm,” he said.
However, the family denied the accusations.
Madam Ye (transliteration), 69, said her daughter, daughter’s boyfriend and seven-year-old granddaughter moved into the flat about three to four years ago.
She added that the previous tenant had cautioned them about disputes with the neighbour, but they brushed it off. Since then, she claimed the situation has worsened, with frequent shouting and vulgarities, sometimes late into the night.
Concerned about the impact on her seven-year-old granddaughter, the family is now hoping to move out.
To deter potential harassment, they had installed an iron-mesh gate and CCTV cameras outside the unit, she said.
However, another resident who has lived on the other side of Zhuo’s unit for eight years said she had never experienced any conflicts or harassment involving him.
She said both households had little interaction over the years and had lived peacefully without any unpleasant incidents.
‘If you’re lucky, you’ll... survive’
In a later video, itsmalcolmmak said: “If you’re lucky like me, you’ll get a few wounds, a ‘balaku’ (bump) on your head, and survive.”
He added that he had contacted the relevant authorities and given his statement. According to him, he was told that the investigating officer (IO) would get in touch with him within the next few days.
In response to Stomp’s queries, police said they were alerted to a dispute at about 10.25pm and that no injuries were reported.
A 44-year-old man is assisting with investigations for voluntarily causing hurt and intentional harassment.
Police investigations are ongoing.
Stomp has reached out to itsmalcolmmak for more information.
‘This must be very traumatising’
The two TikTok videos have garnered more than 85,800 views and 1,330 likes combined.
Many netizens expressed concern for the man who was hit by the bucket, with one user calling Zhuo’s behaviour “way too much”.
“I cannot imagine how you live with this nonsense,” one user commented.
Another wrote: “This must be very traumatising, especially if you have kids at home”.
Explore more on these topics
See something interesting? Contribute your story to us.
