Singapore—In a true-to-life horror story, a group of eight partygoers on their way home from a club at Marina Bay Sands were attacked and badly injured by three men, one of whom was wearing a doctor’s coat.
The partygoers initially thought it was just a Halloween prank, but terror seized them when one assailant wielded a sword, swung it, and broke the bones in both legs of one victim, injuring him so badly that doctors say it will take a year before he can walk again.
This victim, a man who identified himself as Eugene to The Straits Times (ST), along with several of his friends, had attended a Halloween party at Marquee nightclub at Marina Bay Sands on the evening of October 26, a Saturday.
They were making their way home at around 6:00 in the morning on October 27, Sunday, and were at the basement carpark of Marina Bay Sands when the attack occurred.
A man in a white lab coat that doctors wear approached them, and attacked Eugene with an instrument that looked like a short sword, the victim said.
The assailant swung the weapon with such strength that he broke the bones in Eugene’s left and right legs.
Eugene told ST, “At first I thought it was one of the Halloween jump-scare kind of things.”
When his friend Wei attempted to help Eugene, the assailant turned his weapon against him, slashing his forehead, chin and ear, which had gotten cut so badly and was nearly severed. He ended up requiring stitches at the hospital later.
Eugene described Wei’s injuries to ST: “He was lying in a pool of blood, face turned purple… thankfully one of my friends, a nurse, stemmed the bleeding.”
Another assailant beat a friend of Eugene and Wei, a young man who attempted to take a video clip of the slashing on his phone. The young man ended up with bruises.
By 6:15 that morning, police responded to an incident at 1 Bayfront Avenue.
They said three men aged between 25 and 34 had were taken to Singapore General Hospital.
The Police also said in their statement they arrested three men, aged between 22 to 24, “for their suspected involvement in a case of voluntarily causing hurt by a dangerous weapon with (a) common intention.”
On Wednesday, October 30, the three assailants were charged in court for voluntarily causing hurt by a dangerous weapon with common intention under Section 324 read with Section 34 of the Penal Code, Chapter 224. If they are found guilty, they can face up to a 7-year jail term, pay a fine, or be caned.
While Eugene was released from the hospital on November 1, it may be a year before he can walk again.
The two named victims of the attack, Eugene and Wei, told ST that they were disappointed with how Marina Bay Sands handled the situation on several points—the first being the length of time (30 minutes) before a security guard came to help the victims.
When he asked MBS on October 31 for an update on the situation, he was just directed to the police.
However, a representative for MBS told ST, “We take a serious view of this case and are working closely with the police in ongoing investigations.”/ TISG