Man shot dead, 2 others detained in incident near Shangri-La hotel
PUBLISHED ONMay 31, 2015 12:42 AM
UPDATED: SINGAPORE - A 34-year-old Singaporean man was shot dead in the vicinity of Shangri-La hotel at 4.36am on Sunday (May 31) morning.
Two others, who are also Singaporeans aged 26 and 31, have been detained, confirmed the police in a Facebook post.
The incident that took place along Orange Grove Road, near the venue where the Shangri-La Dialogue, a top-level security summit attended by leaders around the world, is being held.
Police said that the trio, who were in a Singapore-registered red Subaru Impreza, was earlier stopped at a police vehicular checkpoint set up along Ardmore Park.
When asked to open the car boot for routine checks, the 34-year-old driver suddenly accelerated the vehicle towards Anderson Road.
Despite police warnings to stop, the driver continued to crash through police barricades, endangering the lives of officers.
"Police opened fire at the vehicle to stop further danger. The vehicle subsequently stopped at the junction of Orange Grove Road and Anderson Road," said the police in a statement.
The 34-year-old driver was pronounced dead at scene.
The 31-year-old passenger sustained injuries during the incident and was conveyed to hospital conscious, said the police.
Police and officers from SAF's Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Explosives (CBRE) Defence Group searched the vehicle but found no explosives, arms or weapons. No weapons were found on the suspects either.
However, a bag containing white powdery substances believed to contain controlled drugs was recovered in the vehicle.
Substances believed to be controlled drugs and an item believed to be a drug-taking utensil were found on the men arrested.
The driver and one of the passengers are wanted by the authorities for various offences.
Police investigations are ongoing, but they believe this is an isolated incident.
Due to the ongoing Shangri-La Dialogue, security is tight in the area. Vehicle and person check points have been put in place in the vicinity of Shangri-La hotel.
The final day of talks at the Shangri-La Dialogue proceeded despite the incident this morning.
Orange Grove Road, Anderson Road and Ardmore Park, which were temporarily closed earlier today to facilitate police operations, are now open to all human and vehicular traffic.
maryanns@sph.com.sg