Jurong resident, 52, arrested after brandishing chopper and threatening man -- for waking him up

A 52-year-old retiree was arrested after threatening a man, who was sharing information about Uber services, with a chopper. 

The incident happened at the foot of Block 759, Jurong West Street 74, last Friday (July 21) at around 9pm.

A video of the altercation was also posted on The Local Society's Facebook page. 

In the video, the uncle was seen confronting a younger man dressed in black on a grass patch at the foot of the block, chopper in hand. Another two men also in black were also present.

Meanwhile, a woman, believed to be the wife of the elderly man, quickly intervened, seizing the chopper from him.

The Straits Times reports that the incident had arisen after the uncle was woken up in his second-storey unit by the man who was going door-to-door to share information about Uber’s services. 

The two got into an argument and the uncle grabbed a chopper from his home to confront the man at the foot of the block.

In an interview with Shin Min Daily News, the uncle also shared his side of the story.

He said that he was feeling giddy on the day of the incident and had retired to his bedroom to sleep at around 8pm. 

The uncle said: "At around 9pm, I was jolted awake by a loud banging noise.

"I woke up, went to the door and saw a young man dressed in black standing outside. He told me that he was here to provide a service and wasn’t selling anything."

Even after repeatedly questioning the man about his purpose of visit, he could not get a straight answer. 

After much prodding, the young man finally told him that he was there to share about Uber services.

The uncle added: "I was feeling unwell and not in a good mood. He kept dodging my questions, so I got angry. I scolded him and shut the door in his face."

However, when he heard the man scolding him back through the door, he became angry.

Seizing a tool which he usually used for gardening, he chased after the guy and confronted him downstairs. 

His wife, who was also home, ran out and shouted a warning at the man who was at the foot of the block.

After the incident, the uncle expressed regret at his actions and professed that he had acted rashly in a fit of anger. 

In response to media queries, the police said that they were alerted at 9.11pm on July 21, to the case of criminal intimidation at the block. 

The spokesman added that a 52-year-old man was arrested in relation to the case, and police investigations are ongoing. 

There were no injuries reported.

A Uber spokesman told The Straits Times that the company was looking into the matter: "We understand from our third-party agent that our representatives did not provoke the man to warrant such behaviour.

"We stand ready to assist in this investigation."