Man, 34, hits traffic police officer with van, later crashes in Choa Chu Kang, drugs found in vehicle

A white van was seen leading the traffic police in a dramatic chase through Choa Chu Kang in the afternoon of Jan. 1.

In response to Mothership's queries, the police said that traffic police officers patrolling along Old Chua Chu Kang Road signalled for a van to stop for a routine check at about 5.20 pm that day.

The van driver refused to comply with the instructions and sped off, prompting the officers to give chase.

During the pursuit, the van collided with a traffic police outrider, and later believed to have self-skidded at the junction of Chua Chu Kang Avenue 7 and Keat Hong Link.

A video uploaded online shows that it drove onto the pedestrian path, went up a staircase, and ultimately got stuck.

In subsequent footage, a man who appeared to be the van driver was also seen sitting on the floor, handcuffed and surrounded by police officers.

Suspected drugs found

A knife, a baton, and items suspected to be controlled drugs and drug-related paraphernalia were found in the van, the police said.

The van driver, a 34-year-old man, was conveyed conscious to the hospital.

He was subsequently arrested for reckless driving causing hurt, driving without a valid licence, driving without valid insurance, failing to stop when ordered by a police officer in uniform, using a forged licence, possession of scheduled weapons, and suspected various drug-related offences.

The suspected drug-related offences have been referred to the Central Narcotics Bureau.

Investigations are ongoing.

The 25-year-old traffic police officer whose outrider was hit was also conveyed conscious to the hospital, and is currently in stable condition.

The chase

During the chase, the white van tore down the streets in a residential area, with two traffic police motorcycles trailing in pursuit.

In a video, the van reversed at a pedestrian crossing before making an illegal U-turn onto the adjacent road while the light was still red.

A Xiaohongshu user, who shared the following photo, wrote that they saw the van strike a traffic police motorcycle and then speed away.

Finally, in a video of the staircase crash, the van was driving fast perpendicular to the flow of traffic.

Seconds after going up the staircase, it was forced to a stop.

A separate Xiaohongshu user who witnessed the crash said that there was a loud bang.

The car was badly damaged after the incident.

The driver was allegedly seen running out of the van and up the slope towards the residential estate, while two traffic police officers gave chase on foot as well.

Afterwards, many traffic police motorcycles and what looked like a tow truck were seen parked along the road where the van stopped.

Top images from 邹邹/Xiaohongshu and Max Mamba/Complaint Singapore Facebook group