A dramatic scene transpired on Monday night as riot police and abseiling rescuers descended upon the sleepy Whampoa district to confront a man threatening to kill his landlady.
Shin Min Daily News reported that about a hundred curious onlookers watched the events unfold at Block 5 along Saint George’s Lane at 7pm, as a 51-year-old man waved a kitchen knife during an argument with his landlady, who had locked herself in a room.
The man stood outside the room as Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) personnel inflated a safety life pack at the foot of the block. Meanwhile, a riot police team stood ready outside the door of the flat while SCDF officers stood by above and below the unit’s windows.
It was around 9.15pm that they executed a simultaneous operation — SCDF officers rappelled down into the seventh-floor unit, while riot police broke in from the front door. The man was promptly arrested.
A resident speaking to Shin Min noted that they were getting pretty used to the spectacle, as similar incidents had already occurred three to four times since the man started living in the house. Just another day in Whampoa.
Photo: Bob Bob via Flickr
