Man, 23, stabs man, 22, at Timezone arcade in Orchard after he got kicked out of arcade game group

A 23-year-old man stole a knife from a restaurant nearby to stab a 22-year-old man in a fit of anger following an argument at an arcade.

Wang You (transliteration from Chinese), admitted to one charge of intentionally causing hurt with a dangerous weapon, one charge of violating the Computer Misuse Act and one charge of violating the Prevention of Harassment Act (POHA) on Jul. 18.

Four other charges were taken into consideration for the sentencing, reported Shin Min Daily News.

Wang was sentenced to 16 months in jail and was ordered to pay the victim S$954 in compensation.

Strained relations

Wang and the victim, 22, had met at the arcade and had played together on the same team for a racing game.

They would meet at Timezone, an arcade at the basement of Orchard Xchange near Ion Orchard, to do so.

However, the victim kicked Wang and his friends out of the team a few weeks later.

Wanting to teach the victim a lesson, Wang got at least two friends on Aug. 11, 2024 to use the victim's mobile phone number in the Grab and Lalamove mobile apps.

This prompted the victim to receive one-time passwords continuously, making him feel uneasy.

The victim reported this to the police.

The incident

On Sept. 8, the two ended up at the arcade at the same time.

The victim confronted Wang and asked about the one-time passwords he had received.

The two then started arguing, during which the victim slapped Wang twice.

As the dispute escalated, arcade staff intervened to break up the altercation.

Wang asked the staff to call the police, but they instead advised the duo to go home.

However, the victim refused to leave and returned to the racing game area, while Wang walked away.

Decided to find a weapon

Angered and wanting to retaliate, Wang decided to find a weapon.

He went to the Japanese restaurant below the arcade and sat near the kitchen counter.

To distract the waiter, he first asked for help charging his mobile phone.

While the waiter was occupied, Wang seized the opportunity to steal a kitchen knife, hiding it in his underwear.

He then retrieved his phone and left the restaurant.

Stabbed victim

At 6:42pm, Wang returned to the arcade and found the victim, attempting to stab him in the stomach.

But Wang missed.

While the victim stepped back in panic, Wang stabbed him again, piercing through his clothes, which cost S$800, and inflicting a wound on his body.

Wang was subdued by staff on the spot, but threatened to stab the victim again after being released.

After the incident, the victim went to Tan Tock Seng Hospital for treatment.

He had a small puncture wound in his upper abdomen and was given two days of sick leave.

The medical expenses totalled S$154.

Fraud case

Investigations later revealed that when Wang was unemployed, he had handed over his Singpass information to an unknown person in March 2024.

The person used Wang's information to open five bank accounts, and used these accounts to receive and transfer amounts of more than S$480,000 and S$470,000 respectively.

Further investigations confirmed that these transactions were linked to a fraud case.

After victims of the fraud reported the incident, they stated that the funds had been transferred into these accounts.

16 months' jail

Wang's lawyer pleaded for leniency, saying Wang was not in a good condition when they first met, but has since underwent treatment.

The lawyer added that Wang was ashamed of what he has done.

Additionally, he pointed out that although Wang could be released on bail, he chose to be remanded in custody to reflect on his actions.

The judge eventually sentenced Wang to 16 months in prison and ordered him to pay S$954 in compensation.

Top photos from Timezone Orchard Xchange/Google Photos