3 men lauded for helping police nab suspect who was shot after charging at officers with knife at Clementi

Wallace Woon
The Straits Times
February 24, 2022

After picking up a passenger last Thursday (Feb 17), taxi driver Goh Wui Teck noticed that the man, who wanted to go to the Clementi Police Divisional Headquarters, was holding a knife.

When they arrived at the police division in Clementi Avenue 5, Mr Goh informed officers at the guardhouse that his passenger was armed with a knife.

According to the police, the man was seen holding a knife outside the station and shouting incoherently when officers approached him.

He refused to comply with the officers' warnings and instructions to drop the knife and proceeded to charge towards them.

As his action posed an imminent threat, an officer fired one shot from his service revolver, hitting the man on his left arm, the police said.

The suspect was detained by the officers and taken conscious to hospital.

The police previously said they had been alerted to a case of assault near Block 420A Clementi Avenue 1. A 41-year-old man was taken to hospital after suffering injuries to his right arm and wrist.

For his actions, Mr Goh was presented with the Public Spiritedness Award by the Clementi Police Division on Thursday, along with two other men who had provided information on the suspect's whereabouts and rendered first aid to a 41-year-old man who had been attacked with a knife.

The police said on Thursday that Mr Goh had acted quickly to inform the police officers, which allowed them to assess the situation quickly and assist in the arrest of the man.

The cabby also returned to the scene of the shooting to assist the police with their investigations.

On Thursday, Assistant Commissioner of Police Marc E, the commander of Clementi Police Division, expressed his appreciation to the award recipients for their actions.

He said: "Their assistance in rendering first aid to the injured man helped save a life, and their alertness and timely information to the police on the whereabouts of the assailant helped us to resolve the incident quickly and decisively."

Soo Cheow Wee, 49, was charged in court last Friday with one count each of voluntarily causing hurt with a dangerous weapon and criminal intimidation.

The Singaporean is alleged to have slashed a 41-year-old man with a knife near Block 420A Clementi Avenue 1 at around 8.40pm last Thursday.

If convicted of voluntarily causing hurt with a dangerous weapon, Soo can be jailed for up to seven years and fined or caned.