A 43-year-old van driver bit a police officer while attempting to flee from the police.

The incident happened on Jul. 24, 2024, according to a press release by the Singapore Police Force (SPF).

The incident

Traffic police officers were conducting an operation along Java Road and they directed a van to stop for checks.

However, the driver did not stop and sped off in a dangerous manner.

Shin Min Daily News reported that at around 1pm that day, the police noticed the grey van.

However, when an officer approached the van, the driver, for reasons unknown, refused to cooperate and drove his vehicle to the junction of Sims Way and Geylang Road, Shin Min added.

Upon reaching the junction, the driver abandoned his van and fled on foot.

Arrested after wrestling with police

In response, a police officer ran after the van driver and eventually caught up with him at Lorong 9 Geylang, which was more than 200m away from the junction, according to Shin Min.

However, the van driver still refused to give in and attempted to resist arrest by putting up a struggle.

While officers were trying to detain the man, he bit one of them on his left forearm, according to the SPF.

Despite his injury, the officer managed to subdue and arrest the man together with another officer.

The van driver sustained minor injuries, Shin Min reported.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) confirmed with Mothership that two persons were conveyed to Raffles Hospital.

Aftermath

When a Shin Min reporter arrived at the scene of the incident at around 3pm, a number of traffic police and police officers were seen around the van.

A photo uploaded to the SGRoad Blocks / Traffic News Telegram group at 3:17pm showed that at least one police vehicle and one ambulance were present at the scene.

The driver seat's door of the van was left open, and the police cordoned off two lanes on the right side of the road with traffic cones.

Various items found inside van

According to Shin Min, there were several dents on the side of the van, and its right rear light appeared to be broken.

A number of items were found inside the van, including a trolley, a backpack, and clothes.

A red plastic bag, believed to contain a takeaway food container, was left behind on the van after the incident.

The van was subsequently towed away at around 4pm, reported Shin Min.

To be charged

The 35-year-old police officer who had been bitten suffered a laceration on his left forearm.

He was conveyed to hospital and subsequently discharged with three days of medical leave.

The van driver is scheduled to be charged on Jul. 26 for one count of voluntarily causing hurt to a public servant to deter him from carrying out his duty, one count of dangerous driving and one count of driving without a valid licence.

For voluntarily causing hurt to a public servant to deter him from carrying out his duty, the penalty is a jail term of up to seven years and a fine or caning.

For dangerous driving, he can be jailed up to 12 months, fined up to S$5,000 or be subjected to both.

As for driving without a valid licence, he can be jailed for up to three years, or fined up to S$10,000, or both.

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Top image via Shin Min Daily News