Man allegedly knocked into LTA officers after they tried to stop him from riding e-scooter

Kok Yufeng
The New Paper
Sep 10, 2019

A man was taken to court yesterday for allegedly injuring two Land Transport Authority (LTA) officers who had tried to stop him from riding his personal mobility device (PMD).

Facing five charges under the Penal Code and the Active Mobility Act, Yousri Dahlan, 40, is accused of endangering the personal safety of others by riding a PMD on a service road at the junction of Hougang Avenue 7 and Hougang Avenue 5.

He is also accused of riding a non-compliant PMD weighing more than 20kg and measuring wider than 70cm.

According to court documents, the offences occurred at about 6pm on Oct 16 last year.

The sequence of events is not clear, but in one charge, Yousri had allegedly refused to comply with requests from two LTA enforcement officers - Mr Asrul Fahmi Rashid and Mr Ardie Indra Bambang Herman - to stop riding his PMD.

Yousri also allegedly caused hurt to the officers by performing rash acts.

He is accused of riding his PMD towards Mr Ardie, colliding into him and causing the LTA officer to fall.

The alleged collision left Mr Ardie with tenderness on his wrist and right shoulder, and an abrasion on his right shin.

Yousri is also accused of pushing his PMD away while Mr Asrul was holding onto it, causing the device's handlebar to knock into the latter's wrist.

Mr Arsul suffered an abrasion and tenderness on his right hand and tenderness on his right elbow as a result. Offered bail of $3,000, Yousri is expected to return to court next Monday.

For the offences of causing hurt by a rash act and obstructing authorised officers from performing their duty, Yousri can be fined up to $5,000, jailed for up to a year, or both.

If found guilty of using a non-compliant PMD on a public path, he can be jailed for up to three months, fined up to $5,000, or both.

PMD BAN IN EFFECT

A PMD ban in void decks and common corridors at public housing estates in the 15 towns run by the People's Action Party has already taken effect at the start of the month.

Users will have a two-month grace period before they will be punished with a fine of up to $5,000 for flouting the ban.

Pedestrian-only zones, where riders must dismount and push their PMDs, will also be on trial for three months at five townships, with the view of implementing them islandwide.