Man, 21, arrested for allegedly attacking food delivery rider, 25, with Swiss army knife at Marsiling block

A 21-year-old man was arrested for allegedly attacking a 25-year-old food delivery rider with a Swiss army knife at Block 214 Marsiling Lane on Dec. 22 night.

In a Dec. 23 news release, the Singapore Police Force said they were alerted to the incident at around 10:35pm on Sunday.

Preliminary investigations revealed that it took place after the man purportedly got into a dispute with the delivery rider.

The man was detained by two passers-by and subsequently arrested by the police.

He will be charged with voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons on Dec. 24.

If convicted, he could have been jailed for up to seven years, fined, caned, or any combination of these punishments.

What happened

Speaking to Mothership, the delivery rider's older brother, who wishes to be known only as Daniel, shared that the alleged attack took place while his younger brother was making a delivery for the accused.

Prior to the incident, the accused apparently wrote via text that he would pay for his order with S$50 cash and told Daniel's brother to prepare a change of S$33 in cash.

In response, Daniel's brother asked whether he could transfer the change via PayNow instead, as it was a significant amount, and he would need to withdraw the cash first.

However, the accused did not appear to take the request well, as he allegedly scolded Daniel's brother, to which he did not engage further.

A screenshot of the conversation between the accused and Daniel's brother posted by Daniel on Facebook showed the apparent exchange over text.

In the screenshot, the accused could be seen rejecting Daniel's brother's request before telling him, "Got read instruction or not?"

Delivery rider prepared change

Subsequently, Daniel's brother arrived at the Housing and Development Board (HDB) block and informed the accused about his arrival.

In response, the accused asked him whether he had any change, to which Daniel's brother stated he did.

Daniel's brother then asked the accused for his unit number, which he allegedly did not specify on his order.

While waiting at the lift lobby, Daniel's brother asked the accused again whether he could transfer the change via PayNow instead.

Accused allegedly arrived at lift lobby with knife

However, instead of replying Daniel's brother, the accused allegedly arrived at the lift lobby with a knife.

The appearance of a weapon allegedly sent Daniel's brother into a state of panic, and he tried to defend himself with his helmet.

According to Daniel, his brother's self-defence eventually proved futile, as the accused apparently thrust the "entire knife" into his brother's abdominal area.

Despite the pain from the injury, Daniel's brother tried his best to "pin down [the accused] with his body" while allegedly "having the knife in his stomach for 45 minutes".

After a passer-by alerted the authorities, Daniel's brother was conveyed to Woodlands Health Campus and is now recovering, shared Daniel.

Accused banned from platform: Grab

Following the incident, a Grab spokesperson told Mothership that the company has banned the accused from its platform.

Grab has also "reached out to the affected delivery-partner" to offer its support, including assisting with his personal accident insurance coverage claim.

Currently, Daniel and his family are appealing for witnesses and any video footage of the incident.

Besides helping his family to understand what transpired on Sunday, he also hoped to gather enough evidence to help his brother file for insurance claims.

Top images via Singapore Police Force & Daniel's Facebook