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From pest-control to fight for life
Group of 5 pest-control officers allegedly attacked by gang of chopper-wielding men
By Vivien Chan
February 19, 2009
HELPED HIS FRIEND: Mr Kaswadi (right) with bloodstains on his shirt. The blood was from Mr Yang's cut on his head after he was slashed. TNP PICTURES: JONATHAN CHOO, KELVIN CHNG
THE request was innocent enough: Hey, can I borrow your lighter?
But what followed was anything but innocent. The man and his three friends started accusing Mr Shahrizan and his pest-controller colleagues of staring at them.
Two of them then allegedly whipped out choppers from their back pockets and started slashing away.
Mr Shahrizan, 25, and his colleagues ran to a nearby clinic and locked themselves in.
Even then, the attackers did not give up. They chased after them and pounded on the door and allegedly smashed the window of a neighbouring unit.
The attack left one of the pest-controllers, Mr Yang Zhao, 25, with a deep slash cut to his head, just behind his left ear. He had to be hospitalised.
Mr Shahrizan too, suffered a 3cm-long cut on his right cheek. The other three pest-control workers were unhurt.
The drama unfolded yesterday morning at Block 49 Toa Payoh Lorong 6. Mr Shahrizan, the team leader of the pest-control group, told The New Paper that the four men approached them while they were walking to the void deck of the block.
TNP GRAPHICS: CEL GULAPA
He and his four colleagues were going to do a check for mosquitoes.
Said Mr Shahrizan: 'One of them asked us for a lighter, and one of my men handed his over.'
The other group then made some small talk.
Mr Shahrizan said: 'One of the men asked us if we were still schooling, and we said that we were working.'
Then, one of the men accused the pest-control workers of staring at them.
The same man then allegedly whipped out a chopper from the back pocket of his jeans.
Mr Ridwan, 25, a member of the pest-control team, said his attacker was 'provoking, and he looked like he was high'.
Mr Shahrizan said that the man's friends dissuaded him from attacking them, but the man refused to listen.
He then tried to slash at Mr Ridwan. Fortunately, he managed to avoid it by using one of their tools, a dipper handle, to block the chopper.
Mr Ridwan then ran away.
'I was in shock that all of it was happening. The men were so aggressive,' he said.
Colleague not so lucky
The man then aimed the chopper at another worker, Mr Yang Zhao, 25. This time, he hit the target.
Mr Yang was slashed on his head, just behind his left ear. Mr Shahrizan said that the wound was about 15cm long and exposed the bone.
One of the pest-control workers, Mr Kaswadi, went to assist the bleeding Mr Yang.
Mr Shahrizan said that his two other workers managed to run away, but he did not because he did not want to leave Mr Yang and Mr Kaswadi behind.
Mr Shahrizan said: 'Suddenly, one of the men who had initially told his friend with the chopper not to attack us, took out a chopper from his pocket too.
'I threw my walkie-talkie and handphone to the ground, in case they just wanted to rob us.'
Mr Shahrizan said that the two men with choppers then started slashing at him. He managed to avoid one strike, only to be struck by the other. He sustained a 3cm-long cut on his right cheek.
Realising that he was no match for them, he made a quick dash for a nearby clinic at Block 51, and asked the doctor and staff for help. Seeking refuge in the doctor's room, he asked one of the workers to look for his walkie-talkie. The worker managed to find it and returned it to him.
Mr Shahrizan contacted his team-members through his walkie talkie. He told them to meet him at the clinic. The other team members helped Mr Yang there. They then got the staff to lock the clinic's door.
However, their attackers were still not done.
Mr Kaswadi, 29, one of the three work men who was unharmed, said: 'I think they were chasing us and broke the windows because they thought we were inside (that unit). But after that, they left.'
When The New Paper visited the scene yesterday evening, we found the back windows of the unoccupied unit, four units away from the clinic, taped over with garbage bags.
In the clinic, Mr Shahrizan said that the doctor tried to stop his bleeding. The doctor also helped to call for the police and ambulance.
Said Mr Shahrizan: 'It's a miracle I escaped with just a cut on my cheek. I don't know how we managed to escape, but I'm very thankful that my men are all right.
'We didn't provoke the men and we don't know why they attacked us.'
Mr Shahrizan was given outpatient treatment at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH). Mr Yang is warded there.
When asked if they were worried about a similar incident happening when they return to the same area for routine checks, Mr Ridwan said: 'Of course, we are worried it will happen again.'
A long-time resident, 60, staying in a nearby block, who knew about the incident, said: 'I see the pest-control team in the area all the time.
'Luckily no one was inside the unit when the hooligans smashed the glass. Otherwise, more people would have been injured.'
A police spokesman confirmed that they were informed of a case of assault at about 10.45am yesterday.
They are investigating. No arrests have been made.
Additional reporting by Han Su-Ying, newsroom intern.
Group of 5 pest-control officers allegedly attacked by gang of chopper-wielding men
By Vivien Chan
February 19, 2009
HELPED HIS FRIEND: Mr Kaswadi (right) with bloodstains on his shirt. The blood was from Mr Yang's cut on his head after he was slashed. TNP PICTURES: JONATHAN CHOO, KELVIN CHNG
THE request was innocent enough: Hey, can I borrow your lighter?
But what followed was anything but innocent. The man and his three friends started accusing Mr Shahrizan and his pest-controller colleagues of staring at them.
Two of them then allegedly whipped out choppers from their back pockets and started slashing away.
Mr Shahrizan, 25, and his colleagues ran to a nearby clinic and locked themselves in.
Even then, the attackers did not give up. They chased after them and pounded on the door and allegedly smashed the window of a neighbouring unit.
The attack left one of the pest-controllers, Mr Yang Zhao, 25, with a deep slash cut to his head, just behind his left ear. He had to be hospitalised.
Mr Shahrizan too, suffered a 3cm-long cut on his right cheek. The other three pest-control workers were unhurt.
The drama unfolded yesterday morning at Block 49 Toa Payoh Lorong 6. Mr Shahrizan, the team leader of the pest-control group, told The New Paper that the four men approached them while they were walking to the void deck of the block.
TNP GRAPHICS: CEL GULAPA
He and his four colleagues were going to do a check for mosquitoes.
Said Mr Shahrizan: 'One of them asked us for a lighter, and one of my men handed his over.'
The other group then made some small talk.
Mr Shahrizan said: 'One of the men asked us if we were still schooling, and we said that we were working.'
Then, one of the men accused the pest-control workers of staring at them.
The same man then allegedly whipped out a chopper from the back pocket of his jeans.
Mr Ridwan, 25, a member of the pest-control team, said his attacker was 'provoking, and he looked like he was high'.
Mr Shahrizan said that the man's friends dissuaded him from attacking them, but the man refused to listen.
He then tried to slash at Mr Ridwan. Fortunately, he managed to avoid it by using one of their tools, a dipper handle, to block the chopper.
Mr Ridwan then ran away.
'I was in shock that all of it was happening. The men were so aggressive,' he said.
Colleague not so lucky
The man then aimed the chopper at another worker, Mr Yang Zhao, 25. This time, he hit the target.
Mr Yang was slashed on his head, just behind his left ear. Mr Shahrizan said that the wound was about 15cm long and exposed the bone.
One of the pest-control workers, Mr Kaswadi, went to assist the bleeding Mr Yang.
Mr Shahrizan said that his two other workers managed to run away, but he did not because he did not want to leave Mr Yang and Mr Kaswadi behind.
Mr Shahrizan said: 'Suddenly, one of the men who had initially told his friend with the chopper not to attack us, took out a chopper from his pocket too.
'I threw my walkie-talkie and handphone to the ground, in case they just wanted to rob us.'
Mr Shahrizan said that the two men with choppers then started slashing at him. He managed to avoid one strike, only to be struck by the other. He sustained a 3cm-long cut on his right cheek.
Realising that he was no match for them, he made a quick dash for a nearby clinic at Block 51, and asked the doctor and staff for help. Seeking refuge in the doctor's room, he asked one of the workers to look for his walkie-talkie. The worker managed to find it and returned it to him.
Mr Shahrizan contacted his team-members through his walkie talkie. He told them to meet him at the clinic. The other team members helped Mr Yang there. They then got the staff to lock the clinic's door.
However, their attackers were still not done.
Mr Kaswadi, 29, one of the three work men who was unharmed, said: 'I think they were chasing us and broke the windows because they thought we were inside (that unit). But after that, they left.'
When The New Paper visited the scene yesterday evening, we found the back windows of the unoccupied unit, four units away from the clinic, taped over with garbage bags.
In the clinic, Mr Shahrizan said that the doctor tried to stop his bleeding. The doctor also helped to call for the police and ambulance.
Said Mr Shahrizan: 'It's a miracle I escaped with just a cut on my cheek. I don't know how we managed to escape, but I'm very thankful that my men are all right.
'We didn't provoke the men and we don't know why they attacked us.'
Mr Shahrizan was given outpatient treatment at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH). Mr Yang is warded there.
When asked if they were worried about a similar incident happening when they return to the same area for routine checks, Mr Ridwan said: 'Of course, we are worried it will happen again.'
A long-time resident, 60, staying in a nearby block, who knew about the incident, said: 'I see the pest-control team in the area all the time.
'Luckily no one was inside the unit when the hooligans smashed the glass. Otherwise, more people would have been injured.'
A police spokesman confirmed that they were informed of a case of assault at about 10.45am yesterday.
They are investigating. No arrests have been made.
Additional reporting by Han Su-Ying, newsroom intern.
