Man brandishes knife at dad over TCM-related dispute in Toa Payoh flat, gets arrested

Upset that his father had given his mother traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), a man in Toa Payoh allegedly brandished a knife at his dad before he was arrested.

The 53-year-old had reportedly flew into a rage in their flat at Block 222, Lorong 8 Toa Payoh at around 12.30pm on Tuesday (Aug 18), resulting in his 82-year-old father calling the police, reported Lianhe Zaobao that day. 

A Zaobao reporter reached the scene at around 2pm, where they noted that a cordon had been set up around the area and personnel from the Singapore Civil Defence Force had deployed safety life air packs below the block.

Five police vehicles were also present, Zaobao reported, and large crowds of onlookers were seen in the area.

Responding to queries from AsiaOne, the SCDF shared that they were alerted to the incident around 12.45pm.

They subsequently deployed two safety life air packs, while rescuers from the Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team remained on standby in the area as a precautionary measure.

No injuries were reported.

At around 3pm, the air packs were deflated and the man was seen being escorted away from the scene by police officers.

Speaking with the Zaobao, the father, surnamed Peng (transliteration), shared the reason behind the altercation and revealed that they had argued about the use of TCM.

Peng explained that his wife, who was using Western medicine, had previously suffered two strokes.

Looking for an alternative, Peng turned to TCM — this caused his son to abruptly fly into a rage, even threatening him with a knife he got from the kitchen.

"He brandished a knife at me, so I immediately called the police," Peng said, adding that the police instructed him to head downstairs to avoid his son.

Peng followed their instructions and left the matter for the police to handle, Zaobao reported.

Police told AsiaOne that they had learned that the man had locked himself inside his home and were concerned that he might harm himself.

Officers from the Special Operations Command and Crisis Negotiation Unit later arrived on scene, and officers managed to gain entry into the unit at around 2.45pm.

The 53-year-old was subsequently arrested for criminal intimidation.

Losing control

Peng told Zaobao reporters that his son has difficulty controlling his temper when he becomes angry, and has been undergoing treatment for several years.

This is the first time his son has escalated the situation so severely. Previously, the most he would do would be to shout or slam his door.

"It wasn't anything significant," Peng said. "Many people are like that too, where if they lose control, they might end up doing anything.

"He wouldn't have dared to do this otherwise… would you dare to treat your father like that?"

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khooyihang@asiaone.com