S'porean man, 46, in Johor road rage incident, identified as chicken rice restaurant owner

The 46-year-old Singaporean man who fought with Malaysian police on the way to Woodlands Checkpoint was identified as the owner of a well-known chicken rice restaurant in Braddell Road.

Earlier reports mentioned that Gary Lim Kian Liang was charged with obstructing a police officer in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, as well as attacking a 30-year-old Malaysian woman.

Lim, who did not claim trial, faces three charges.

This includes the possession of a dangerous weapon, voluntarily causing hurt with a dangerous weapon, and obstructing a public servant, Malay Mail reported.

He did not indicate a plea.

Shop owner

During the bail application, Lim's lawyers reportedly said Lim was a restaurant owner in Singapore and suffered from mental health issues that required ongoing treatment.

Lim was apparently married and supported his elderly mother.

Shin Min Daily News reported that Lim previously operated the chicken rice store as well as a massage parlor and other establishments.

At one point, he reportedly held positions in eight companies at once.

Upon visiting the chicken rice store in Braddell Road on Aug. 20, Shin Min observed that there were no customers present.

Other shop owners nearby told Shin Min that the restaurant had been operating at that location for over 30 years, being passed down from mother to son.

The 65-year-old owner of a nearby tire shop said he seldom saw Lim at the restaurant and had not seen him for about half a year.

He added, however, that Lim's mother is said to be frequently at the store.

Road rage

On Aug. 15, Lim allegedly attacked a woman at about 11:58pm.

He apparently then got into a physical altercation with police officers shortly after on Aug. 16 at about 12:15am at Jalan Lingkaran Dalam, heading towards the Sultan Iskandar Building near the Causeway.

The altercation apparently stemmed from a road rage incident.

Local police arrested four men in that incident.

According to New Straits Times, preliminary investigations revealed that the incident purportedly stemmed from a dispute between three Malaysian men and a Singaporean man.

Lim allegedly possessed an 8.5cm knife without a valid permit, and the weapon was apparently used in the altercation.

Threw money at taxi driver

Prior to this, in 2017, Lim allegedly insulted a taxi driver while holding cash, blocking the vehicle door and said: "You can't do anything great, that's why you're a taxi driver."

Shin Min reported that Lim later explained that he had behaved inappropriately while drunk and apologised to the taxi driver.

He was also said to have prepared 200 packets of chicken rice for the taxi drivers.

In the following year, he reportedly said he had quit drinking.

Bail, case adjourned

Following his road rage incident, Lim was granted bail of RM20,000 (S$6,301).

His case was adjourned to Sep. 25.