Police arrest man after six-hour standoff at Bukit Batok block where bicycle and other items were thrown

SINGAPORE: A six-hour standoff unfolded at a 20th-floor HDB flat in Bukit Batok West Avenue after a 47-year-old man locked himself inside and began throwing items, including shoes, a hairdryer and a bicycle, from the unit.

One resident shared that when she went downstairs to throw out her trash, she suddenly noticed that someone was throwing things from the high-rise building. The resident remarked that at first, it was only shoes, but later on, the thrown item was a bicycle, which prompted the people to call the police, as reported by Shin Min Daily News. 

“Luckily no one was hit. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable,” a resident claimed. 

When reporters arrived at the area, they discovered that the downstairs of the HDB building was in a mess, and below the affected unit were scattered items such as sneakers, some clothes, cardboard boxes, sofa cushions, hair dryers, adult bicycles, and even children’s scooters. 

It was also seen that there were police officers and civil defence personnel on standby, and a safety air cushion was placed below the unit. There were also safety nets above the unit. 

A few moments later, a shirtless man wearing only blue shorts appeared at the window of the unit and waved his hands intermittently. He then rested his hands on the windowsill, occasionally turning his head to mutter to himself, then went back inside.

The standoff between the man and the authorities lasted for about six hours. Around five in the afternoon, a civil defence officer lowered a safety net and landed at the window of the unit in question. Police also sawed through the iron gate to enter the unit and arrested the man.

The man was arrested for reckless conduct, and the police investigation is still ongoing. Fortunately, no one was injured in the incident. 

In similar news related to HDB concerns, there was a report that a woman was seen sitting on the edge of a well on the 16th floor of a residential area in Rivervale Drive, Sengkang, prompting an immediate response from the authorities. 

It was reported that a woman was sitting on the wall near the stairs. She was leaning against the wall with her feet inside, and her hands were gripping the metal handles. It seemed that she was in a daze. 

Read more about the news story here.