Ho Ching Rd stand-off: Video shows 50-year-old man being escorted by police

Submitted by Stomper Ming Tat, Andy

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New videos of the stand-off in Jurong West have surfaced, showing police officers barging into a unit and escorting the suspect out.

Stomper Ming Tat and Andy alerted Stomp to the videos circulating on WhatsApp. 

The 50-year-old suspect had locked himself in with two of his family members inside the unit at Block 114, Ho Ching Road, said the police in an official statement posted on Facebook.

He was armed with a knife and threatened to harm officers should they enter the unit. 

Residents told The Straits Times that the stand-off had begun around noon, and one of the people trapped inside the flat was released at around 5.45pm. 

Mr Sathappan Ganesan, 45, a manager in the construction industry, said he saw bystanders and police officers crowding around the foot of the block at about 2pm.

Another resident, Mr Sathappan, who lives opposite the affected block said he heard people shouting from the flat shortly before the police brought the suspect out.

In an update on Facebook at about 7.09pm, the police said that they had been conducting a joint operation with the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) at about 1pm at the block. 

The statement read:

“A 50-year-old man refused to open the door and had locked himself in the house with his family members upon seeing police and CNB officers. 

"The man had armed himself with a knife and threatened to harm the officers if they entered the unit."

Officers from the Special Operations Command knocked down the door at 5.50pm and retrieved the suspect. 

He was led out about 10 minutes later and had a heavily bruised thigh.

The police said:

“The man’s elderly father and girlfriend were not harmed throughout the incident.”

Substances believed to be controlled drugs and other drug paraphernalia were also found in the unit.

The suspect was arrested for criminal intimidation and suspected drug-related offences.

Another man, understood to be the suspect’s father, was also escorted out of the flat by relatives shortly before 8pm.

He told reporters that his son had been released from prison in 2008, and was currently unemployed. 

Police and CNB investigations are ongoing.