Man, 67, arrested after sitting on window ledge at Teck Whye; case referred to CNB

An elderly man was arrested after locking himself in his Teck Whye HDB unit and sitting on the window ledge in the wee hours last Friday (Jan 2).

A resident living nearby noticed a burning smell and did not get a response when he knocked on the door of the man's unit, reported Stomp.

In response to AsiaOne's queries, the police said they received a call for assistance at Block 165A Teck Whye Crescent at around 3.05am that day.

Upon arrival, they noticed a man sitting on the window ledge of a residential unit and that he had locked himself in a room.

Based on their assessment of the situation, the police believed that the man posed a danger to himself.

Officers from the Special Operations Command, Crisis Negotiation Unit and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) were subsequently called to the scene.

Police officers were able to gain entry into the locked room at around 6.35am after the 67-year-old man relented and opened the door.

SCDF told AsiaOne that officers at the scene deployed one safety life air pack and that rescuers from the Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team were on standby as a precautionary measure.

According to the police, the elderly man was subsequently apprehended under Section 7(1) of the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) Act 2008 and for suspected drug offences, which have been referred to the Central Narcotics Bureau for investigation. 

[[nid:726511]]

dana.leong@asiaone.com