Man charged for brandishing knife at policeman in standoff
AsiaOne
Friday, Jul 27, 2012
A 27-year-old man who entered a police post with a knife and pointed it at an officer in a dramatic standoff on Thursday night was charged in court on July 27.
Muhammad Rafid Mohamed Khali was said to have entered Whampoa Neighbourhood Police Post at around 7.20pm and pointed the knife at police sergeant Jeremy Heng Chuan Khee.
The suspect is also accused of kicking a passer-by twice when the latter entered the police post to help subdue him.
According to The Straits Times (ST), the standoff began when the accused entered the Whampoa NPP and threatened the police sergeant with a knife.
Despite several warnings, the civilian refused to put down his weapon and the policeman drew his service revolver on him.
A crowd gathered to watch the 20-minute standoff on Jalan Bahagia.
A report in ST said that witnesses saw two other policemen arriving at 7.42pm with a plastic shield and their guns drawn.
They used a taser gun on the man.
Though he dropped the knife, the suspect continued to struggle when officers tried to subdue him.
In the end, two bystanders helped to apprehend the suspect.
One passer-by told ST that the suspect was smiling as he spoke to the policeman with a knife pointed at him.
One of the bystanders who entered the police station to help told the paper that the man was very strong.
Mr Teo Kok Eng, 59, also said that the man kicked him in the stomach during the struggle.
The suspect was apprehended and brought into a room before reinforcements arrived and led him away at 8.50pm.
He has been remanded for psychiatric examination and will return to court on August 10 on charges of criminal intimidation and voluntarily causing hurt.
If found guilty of criminal intimidation, he could be jailed for up to two years, fined or jailed and fined.
For voluntarily causing hurt, Rafid could be sentenced to two years in prison and given a $5,000 fine.
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