Man arrested after he crashes car into playground, suspected to be under influence of drugs

SINGAPORE - A 27-year-old man has been arrested by the police after crashing a car into the playground near a Bukit Merah Housing Board block.

The man was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs and for use of criminal force to deter a public servant from discharge of his duty, the police said on Saturday (Dec 21).

The man was also driving without a valid license.

Police were alerted to the incident at Block 134 Jalan Bukit Merah on Friday at 11.58pm and are still investigating the incident.

The Straits Times understands that besides the driver who sustained minor injuries, no one else was injured.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) was also called for assistance at about midnight on Saturday.

SCDF said: "A man in his 20s was assessed by the paramedic for minor injuries, but he subsequently refused conveyance to the hospital."

In a Facebook post on Saturday, Tanjong Pagar GRC MP Indranee Rajah said that the town council has cordoned off the playground and a safety inspection will be conducted.

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Mr Mervin Low, 51, was dropping his daughter’s friend home at Block 134 after she and his daughter had been out taking pictures at Gardens by the Bay. The event manager said he saw an ambulance and several police vehicles in the area as he entered the gantry of the car park.

He told ST: “I was shocked given how bad the crash was. The distance between the gantry, where the car would have had to stop, and the playground is about 30m or 40m, and there is a slight incline.”

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.