Police with riot shields arrest S'porean man, 42, in Jalan Besar

A man seen standing in the middle of Syed Alwi Road in Jalan Besar on Nov. 6 evening, was facing off against several police officers, some of whom were equipped with riot shields.

The man was later tackled by an officer, restrained and arrested.

He was subsequently charged on Nov. 8 for possessing a penknife, which is an offensive weapon, in a public road without lawful authority or lawful purpose.

It is unclear what triggered the confrontation.

Surrounded by police with riot shields

The incident was filmed by a member of the public and videos were shared on Facebook.

In one of the videos, the man appeared agitated and was seen gesturing and yelling while standing in the middle of the road.

He was surrounded by a number of police officers, some of whom were holding riot shields.

Mothership understands that the police were alerted about a man with a knife.

Just slightly over 10 seconds into the video, the man appeared to be tackled by one of the officers, which prompted the rest to move in on him.

About six police officers appeared to be involved in the attempt to restrain the man.

The man was later handcuffed and brought to the sidewalk, where the police proceeded to pat him down.

He could be heard protesting to the officers, at one point yelling, "No, no, no".

Remanded for medical examination

According to court documents, the man, Gobi, who goes by one name, is a 42-year-old Singaporean.

The incident took place on Nov. 6 at 10:12pm along Syed Alwi Road.

Gobi was charged on Nov. 8 for possessing a penknife, which is an offensive weapon, without lawful authority or lawful purpose along a public road.

This is an offence under Section 6(1) of the Corrosive and Explosive Substances and Offensive Weapons Act.

Any person found guilty of the offence is liable on conviction to a prison term not exceeding three years and at least six strokes of the cane.

Court records showed that Gobi has been held in remand since Nov. 8 for a medical examination.

His next court mention is set for Dec. 26, 2025.

Top image via An Nhi / Facebook