Man, 22, to be charged for attacking a father, 30 & son, 3, with knife while naked in Hougang

A 22-year-old man will be charged on Apr. 19 with voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons after he allegedly slashed another man, 30, and injured three police officers in Hougang on Apr. 17.

The offence carries a jail term of up to seven years, a fine, caning, or any combination of the punishments, said the police in an Apr. 18 news release.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the accused had allegedly damaged a Mercedes parked at an open car park between Blocks 676 and 677 at Hougang Avenue 8 after he attacked the older man.

Later on, the accused purportedly picked up a wooden plank with nails and used it to damage a stationary bus along Hougang Avenue 4.

He also allegedly used the wooden plank to attack police officers as they attempted to arrest him.

Mercedes sustained hole on windshield

When Shin Min Daily News reporters arrived at the car park on Apr. 17, part of it had been cordoned off by the police.

A pair of slippers covered in blood was seen at the scene.

An opening was also spotted on the windshield of a black Mercedes parked at the car park exit.

Several police officers were at the scene.

Accused attacked father-son pair: witness

According to a woman who lives near the HDB blocks, the alleged victim, who was wearing a red shirt, was at the car park with his young son, aged three, when the accused allegedly attacked him, reported Shin Min.

The two men subsequently engaged in a struggle, and the alleged victim fell to the ground at one point.

He managed to get back on his feet, and ran away after picking up his son, recounted the woman.

She added that the alleged victim appeared to sustain injuries on his arm.

There was no mention about why the man was naked.

Stamped on Mercedes' windshield

After allegedly attacking the father-son pair, the accused apparently jumped onto the Mercedes' bonnet while holding a knife, Shin Min reported a male witness as saying.

According to the witness, the accused stamped on the Mercedes' windshield multiple times before he started running towards the road.

Shin Min reported that it understands that the accused subsequently ran along Hougang Avenue 8 and Hougang Ave 4, where he was eventually arrested by police officers.

The scene was caught on camera by an onlooker, and the video was uploaded to Xiaohongshu.

Accused's deeds caught on camera

The witnesses' account was corroborated by dashcam footage retrieved from a vehicle parked at the car park.

The vehicle's owner, who is a resident nearby, shared the footage with Shin Min.

In the video, the alleged victim was helping his son to get on a truck when the accused suddenly emerged and attacked them with a knife.

In response, the alleged victim put himself in front of his son, which resulted in him getting slashed on the arm.

As the father-son pair tried to retreat, they accidentally bumped into the resident's vehicle bonnet and fell to the ground.

After the alleged victim got up, he immediately picked up his son and ran towards the truck before leaving the scene.

While making their escape, the alleged victim could be seen limping while covering the wound on his arm.

"After the slashing, the accused ran towards the Mercedes and tried to open its door. When he failed, he hopped onto it before fleeing the scene," added the resident.

Police used 'necessary force' to subdue accused

In its Apr. 18 news release, the Singapore Police Force said that they received several calls for assistance after members of the public witnessed the accused damaging vehicles at around 1:10pm on Apr. 17.

As the accused attacked police officers during the arrest, necessary force was used to subdue him.

As a result, three police officers suffered minor injuries.

The alleged victim was conveyed conscious to the hospital.

Man who protected father-son pair to be awarded

Police added that during the incident, a member of the public, Shari bin Mohd, displayed "commendable bravery" when he intervened to protect the alleged victim and his three-year-old son.

"Shari swiftly acted by moving them away from the man, successfully ensuring their safety," read the news release.

To recognise Shari's courage and quick intervention, the police will be presenting him the Public Spiritedness Award.

Top image via Shin Min Daily News