Orchard fight: Victim, 39, claims knife attack caused neck wound near carotid artery & fractured cheekbone

A fight reportedly broke out along Buyong Road in Orchard in the early hours of the morning on Jul. 2.

Four men were found injured at the scene.

Two others were arrested later on by police.

Sudden attack

Speaking to Shin Min Daily News, one of the injured men, 39-year-old Jiang Jiaji (transliteration), recounted the events leading up to the attack.

Jiang said he had been drinking with three friends along Prinsep Street before the group decided to continue their gathering near Cuppage Plaza at around 2am on Thursday.

As they were crossing the road at a traffic junction near the Istana, they were allegedly confronted by three men.

According to Jiang, he heard someone behind him ask, "Are you ok?"

At first, he assumed one of his friends had bumped into someone they knew.

He said one of his friends replied, "Ok," before another remark was made along the lines of, "The light has already turned green. Why aren't you walking?"

It was then when everything went wrong, Jiang said.

He said one of his friends told him that he was attacked with a knife after merely glancing over at one of three men.

Though he managed to evade the attack, he suffered a cut to his nose.

Stabbed in the neck

"The attacker then went on to attack another friend, before running back to me and slashing my neck," Jiang told Shin Min.

He alleged that the man wielding the knife fled the scene afterwards, while two others, who were dressed in black, repeatedly punched and kicked him, resulting in a fracture to his left cheekbone.

Jiang said he was bleeding heavily and unable to defend himself during the assault.

"At first, I could still raise my hands to protect my head, but I eventually lost the ability to resist. In that moment, I thought I was going to die," he said.

Photos provided by Jiang showed him covered in blood while seated by the road and awaiting medical treatment.

Fortunately, the slash wound was just below Jiang's ear.

Had the injury been about 3cm lower, it could have severed his carotid artery and potentially proved fatal, he said.

He added that another friend suffered five cuts to his hands and face.

Hurled insults

According to Shin Min, a video Jiang shared showed two of the attackers shouting insults at the group's only uninjured friend after assaulting Jiang.

As they walked away, one of the men allegedly turned around, waved and shouted, "Come at us! Come!"

Jiang said he and his friends did not know any of the three men and had no idea why they were attacked.

He added that he rarely stays out late, but had met up with old classmates that evening.

"We were attacked very close to the Istana. We thought Orchard Road was safe because there are many security cameras. However, we were attacked without warning and had no chance to react," he said.

Jiang said he continues to suffer severe pain in the head and is expected to be unable to work for about two months because of his injuries, including a fractured cheekbone and neck wounds that required stitches.

He said his greatest wish now is for justice to be served.

"Anyone carrying a knife around in the middle of the night is extremely dangerous," he added.

Following investigations, police arrested two men, aged 25 and 27, on suspicion of voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous means.

A knife was also recovered as a case exhibit.

It is understood that a third suspect was subsequently apprehended.

Charged in court

On Jul. 3, three men — Badril Fitri Khasnuri, 25, Clapton Goh Jun Siong, 27 and Jason Li Zhijie, 33 — were charged in court with one count each of voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous means.

If convicted, one may face up to seven years' imprisonment, a fine, caning, or any combination of these punishments.