Man arrested for stabbing three people

SINGAPORE - A 44-year-old man who allegedly stabbed three people in Ang Mo Kio and Yishun yesterday morning in seemingly random acts of violence was arrested six hours later.

The victims, all men, who were aged 35, 58 and 61, were attacked between 6.15am and 9am.

The trio were taken to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital where they received outpatient treatment.

They all made separate reports to the police, saying the attacker fled the scene after stabbing them with a knife.

Police arrested the suspect at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3 at 3.15pm yesterday and investigations are ongoing.

The Commander of Ang Mo Kio Police Division, Assistant Commissioner of Police Keok Tong San, highlighted the need for quick action.

"This case was particularly unsettling because the suspect seemingly targeted random victims with no apparent pattern," he said yesterday in a press statement. "Police intensified patrols on the ground because we knew we had to catch him quickly before more members of the public got hurt."

One of the alleged victims, Mr See Han Sern, posted details of the attack on his Facebook account, saying he was stabbed twice in the back at about 9am while on the way to breakfast with his parents.

The man was wearing a dark blue-grey checked shirt and long black pants, and had allegedly attacked him in front of Chung Cheng High School along Yishun Street 61, wrote Mr See.

He added that the attack near a zebra crossing was "unprovoked".

He told The Sunday Times: "I have never met this man before and I was confused and angry. However, I backed down when I saw a sharp object in his hands.

"When the driver of a van asked the assailant to stop, he charged at him, causing the driver to speed away. The assailant then walked towards Block 635."

This article was published on April 13 in The Straits Times.

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