M’sian man, 27, pleads guilty to hitting auxiliary police officer while using Woodlands Checkpoint heavy vehicle lane to avoid jam

A 27-year-old Malaysian man has pleaded guilty to driving along the heavy vehicle lane at Woodlands Checkpoint to avoid getting stuck in jam and later hitting an auxiliary police officer who tried to stop him.

Suriya Ganisan faced five charges under the Road Traffic Act, including dangerous driving and failing to stop after an accident to render assistance.

He pleaded guilty to three of the charges on Jul. 8, Shin Min Daily News reported.

The remaining charges are to be taken into consideration during sentencing.

Jam

On Sep. 26, 2025, at about 2:50pm, Suriya arrived at Woodlands Checkpoint intending to return to Malaysia.

At the time of his arrival, the lanes for cars and other vehicles were jammed, but the lane for heavy vehicles was reportedly clear.

After waiting in the queue, Suriya proceeded to swerve into the heavy vehicles lane.

He headed towards the checkpoint but was stopped by an auxiliary police officer.

The officer instructed Suriya to make a U-turn and rejoin the queue.

However, he failed to comply with the officer’s instructions, and instead swerved towards the car lane and drove past the officer.

Another auxiliary police officer, Muhamad Irzan bin Masrabi, proceeded to intervene to stop Suriya's vehicle. Suriya then accelerated and crossed a double white line.

As a result, Irzan was hit in the abdomen by the vehicle and fell.

The Straits Times previously reported that Irzan sustained a "serious injury", but noted that the court did not provide specificities then.

He was eventually intercepted before he entered the Malaysian checkpoint, where he was instructed to make a U-turn.

Suriya complied and was escorted back to Woodlands Checkpoint before being arrested.

Extent of injuries

Irzan has been diagnosed with an undisplaced sacral fracture and a cervical disc protrusion.

He was hospitalised for six days and discharged on Oct. 1, but had three follow-up medical appointments and was granted a total of 46 days of hospitalisation leave.

He is still unable to walk or sit for prolonged periods without pain.

Serving sentence while awaiting outcome

Suriya said he deeply regretted what he had done and apologised to the auxiliary police officer during mitigation.

His lawyer, who apparently took the case on a pro bono basis, cited that Suriya was from Perak, Malaysia, adding that the man's family could not afford legal representation.

He argued that Suriya lacked the financial means to cover his living expenses in Singapore while awaiting the outcome of the case.

Therefore, even though Suriya was granted bail, he chose to begin serving his sentence in the meantime.

While his lawyer sought a jail term of no more than 16 months for Suriya, arguing that the auxiliary police officer’s injuries were not the most severe when it came to similar cases, the prosecution countered that Suriya's actions could have resulted in something even more serious.

The latter is seeking a jail sentence of between 28 months and six weeks and 29 months and eight week, as well as a three-year disqualification from holding or obtaining all classes of driving licences.

Sentencing will be carried out on Aug. 19.