Police arrest 18-year-old man after stabbing incident at Boon Lay FairPrice

Singapore—After a stabbing incident left a 23-year-old man with injuries to his face and head on Wednesday (Oct 7), the police have announced that an 18-year-old man has been arrested following the knife attack.

The incident occurred at the FairPrice outlet at Boon Lay Shopping Centre shortly after noon on Wednesday, with photos and videos of people assisting the injured man circulating on social media, including Hardware Zone and Reddit.

The outlet was temporarily closed down for a few hours following the incident.

According to the Police, “On 7 October 2020 at 12:40 pm, the Police were alerted to a case of voluntarily causing grievious hurt by dangerous weapon at 221 Boon Lay Place.

A 23-year-old man was attacked by another man with a knife. The 23-year-old man suffered injuries to his face and head and was conscious when conveyed to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital. Police investigations are ongoing.”

The Police also said in the statement that the identity of the 18-year-old man had been established by the officers from Jurong Police Division via ground enquiries and with the footage of CCTV units in the area.

On Friday, Oct 9, the suspect will be charged in court for voluntarily causing grievous hurt by a dangerous weapon under Section 326 of the Penal Code, Chapter 224.

The Police added that they will coordinate with the prosecution in seeking a court order for the accused to be remanded at the Institute of Mental Health for psychiatric evaluation.

Should the accused be found guilty of voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapon, he could be put in jail for life or “with imprisonment for a term which may extend to 15 years; and shall also be liable to caning or if he is not sentenced to imprisonment for life, liable to fine.”

According to eyewitness accounts, at least two young men were seen in an altercation at around 12:30 pm at the shopping centre, outside FairPrice’s entrance.

One man ran away, leaving another man on the floor, bleeding copiously. The staff of FairPrice assisted this man, applying pressure on his wounds to stanch the bleeding.

The supermarket was closed after the incident but reopened by around 4pm.

A representative from FairPrice has been quoted in TODAY Online as saying it was aware that the knife attack had occurred, adding, “Our staff rendered immediate assistance and ensured that the safety of our shoppers was not compromised. Our store operations remain unaffected.” —/TISG

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