PUBLISHED ONBYSean LerA man who fled from the police in Little India and caused four persons, including himself, to be injured after an accident on early Saturday (Nov 7) morning, has been charged in court.
Yugendran Yellumalai, 33, appeared in court via video conferencing from the hospital hours later on Saturday morning.
He was charged with voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous means and failure to provide a breath specimen after the accident.
The police had said in a statement on Saturday morning that Yellumalai had assaulted a 34-year-old man with a sharp object along River Valley Road at about 8.35pm on Friday.
The victim sustained injuries and was taken conscious to the hospital.
Yellumalai is said to have fled the scene in his vehicle after the alleged assault.
At about 12.05am on Saturday, officers on patrol along Tessensohn Road spotted Yellumalai's vehicle and signalled for him to stop.
However, he chose to speed off and the officers pursued the vehicle.
Videos posted on social media show the car driven by Yellumalai dashing through the junction of Birch Road and Race Course Road, hitting a vehicle in the process.
The impact caused the BMW sports utility vehicle (SUV) driven by the 33-year-old to mount the road divider and overturn.
He was pulled out of the vehicle by police officers and arrested.
Meanwhile, the 36-year-old driver of the other car and his two passengers were taken to hospital.
A video taken from a nearby apartment block shows Yellumalai standing upright after handcuffs were placed on him.
However, a subsequent video shows three Singapore Civil Defence Force paramedics assisting him onto a stretcher.
During a subsequent search of Yellumalai's car by the police, AsiaOne counted at least six cans of beer and a bottle of vodka retrieved by officers as evidence.
Other items found were a pair of scissors, a penknife and what appears to be two letter opener knives.
The 33-year-old will return to court again on Nov 13.
The offence of voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous means carries a jail term of up to seven years, a fine, caning, or a combination of these punishments.
Those found guilty of failing to provide a breath specimen could be jailed for up to six months and fined up to $5,000.
Police investigations into the 33-year-old for dangerous driving causing hurt are ongoing.
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