S’porean man, 60, chases after bus that pulled away & shatters its glass door, gets S$5,000 fine

A 60-year-old Singaporean man was fined S$5,000 after shattering the glass of a public bus’ front door while chasing after the vehicle.

Li Dehua pleaded guilty to one charge of mischief and was sentenced on Aug. 3.

He also faced another charge of public nuisance, which was taken into consideration during sentencing.

Service 183

In court documents seen by Mothership, on Sep. 1, 2025, at about 7:15am, bus service 183 stopped at a bus stop along its route located on Toh Guan Road in Jurong East.

As the bus was moving off from the bus stop, Li raised his hand and crossed the road from the opposite side in front of the bus.

The bus driver braked to allow him to walk past.

Li was carrying a white cloth bag containing a metal spoon and his lunch box at the time of the offence.

When he reached the bus stop, Li raised his hand in front of the bus door, signalling the bus driver to stop.

However, the bus driver did not stop and slowly drove away from the bus stop.

Li then became upset and chased after the vehicle.

He shouted “Oi’ and proceeded to swing the bag onto the glass door of the bus, causing it to shatter into pieces.

At the time of the offence, the bus driver was seated in close proximity to the door.

Photos in the court document showed it was raining at the time.

Attempt

At about 7:26am, the police received a report of the incident from a complainant who identified himself as “Mr Daniel” from the Tower Transit control room.

Li then attempted to board another bus.

However, Li was stopped.

“If I lose my job, you will also lose your job,” Li told the bus driver while waiting for police officers to arrive.

Li then left the premises before police officers arrived.

Aftermath

The bus with the shattered door was unable to provide service to passengers, and they had to disembark to find other means of transport to continue their intended journey.

The damages to the bus amounted to S$2,138.33.

While the bus driver did not sustain any visible injuries, he was conveyed to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital due to high blood pressure.

Li was arrested on Oct. 30, 2025, and was released on bail.

On Nov. 25, 2025, Li had made full restitution to Tower Transit for the damages.

Leniency

According to Shin Min Daily News, Li pleaded for leniency.

His lawyers noted that this was Li’s first criminal offence.

They said he needed to support his wife and two sons who are attending university.

They also said he confessed to his actions, cooperated with authorities during investigations, and made full restitution.