Man goes on drunken rampage in Geylang

Furious that he was fined for smoking in a non-smoking zone in Geylang on Christmas night, he went on a drunken rampage.

First, he pushed and shoved his way past 10 plainclothes officers from the National Environment Agency (NEA) in a coffee shop at Geylang Road Lorong 7.

The officers were conducting a sting operation to check for infringements, witnesses told Shin Min Daily News.

The 37-year-old man then dashed to the middle of Geylang Road, shouting angrily in Mandarin: "Come get me!"

It nearly caused a pile-up as about 10 cars slammed on their brakes to avoid hitting him.

He tried to stop a cab to get away, but it drove off.

The man and a few friends had been drinking and chatting when the NEA officers appeared, witnesses said.

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They were surprised to see the officers surrounding them suddenly.

"He insisted that he has not smoked for more than 20 years and did not know why he was being fined," said a witness, who did not want to be named.

"It was a tense situation and their voices got louder and louder. Both sides did not back down."

The police were called, but one patrol car was involved in a minor collision with a grey sedan while responding to the incident, leaving light scratches on both vehicles, witnesses said.

The man was arrested for voluntarily causing hurt to deter a public servant from his duty, a police spokesman told The New Paper yesterday.

The police are also investigating the accident between the patrol car and the sedan.

This article was first published on December 28, 2014.
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