Man, 47, throws bicycle from 20th floor Bukit Batok unit, locks himself at home in 6-hour police standoff

A 47-year-old man alarmed residents when he started throwing large items down from his house in Block 393 Bukit Batok West Avenue 5 on Sep. 21.

These items included clothes, shoes, a sofa cushion, a hair dryer, a bicycle, and a child's scooter, according to Shin Min Daily News.

"At first it started with just shoes, but later even a bicycle was thrown down," a neighbour told Shin Min. "When [the residents] saw that, we rushed to call the police."

In response to Mothership's queries, both the police and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said they received calls for assistance at around 11am.

The police later established that the man had locked himself inside his own residential unit and refused to open the door.

He was assessed to be posing a danger to himself, prompting officers from the Special Operations Command, Crisis Negotiation Unit, and SCDF to be activated.

At about 5:05pm, the police managed to enter his unit and arrested him for committing a rash act.

Safety precautions

SCDF officers deployed two safety life air packs at the bottom of the block.

Rescuers from its Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (DART) also rappelled from the man's unit as a precautionary measure, SCDF said.

According to Shin Min, the police cordoned off an area on the ground roughly the size of half a basketball court.

When residents walked past Block 393, the police told them not to linger in the area for their safety.

Nonetheless, many residents stood just beyond the cordoned-off area to observe the situation around the man's unit.

Stand-off

Around 2:25pm, a shirtless man appeared at the window of a unit on the 20th floor, Shin Min reported.

He was initially seen sitting on a sofa in the living room, then gradually moved towards the window.

He then rested an arm against the window, and at times looked to be muttering to himself. After a while, he walked back inside the house.

Photos from Shin Min show the man staring out the window while SCDF officers stood on a ledge above with a safety net set up.

The police reportedly later entered the unit by force, by sawing through the metal gate at the front door.

No injuries were reported. Police investigations are ongoing.