Jail for man who punched taxi driver for overtaking him

SINGAPORE: Angry after a taxi driver overtook him, a man alighted from his car to confront the driver at a traffic junction. 

During the argument, Silas Yu Ming‘En reached through the 66-year-old taxi driver's window to unbuckle his seatbelt, tried to force open the door, and threw punches at him. 

The 41-year-old Singaporean was jailed for five days on Thursday (Jun 5). He was also fined S$2,500 (US$1,900) for another incident in which he got into a dispute with a man who told him not to be rude. 

He pleaded guilty to two counts of voluntarily causing hurt, with one count of using threatening behaviour taken into consideration for his sentencing. 

On Apr 9, 2024, the taxi driver was driving along Choa Chu Kang North 5 when he came to a stop behind Yu at a traffic junction. 

After the traffic light turned green, the taxi driver overtook Yu as he found Yu to be slow. 

When the cars came to another halt, this time at the traffic junction of Choa Chu Kang North 5 and Choa Chu Kang Street 53, Yu alighted from his car to approach the taxi driver. 

The taxi driver lowered his window after Yu knocked on it, and a heated verbal argument ensued. 

He then demanded that the taxi driver get out of his vehicle. When the latter refused, Yu tried to force open the door. 

Yu then reached through the open window in an attempt to unfasten the victim's seat belt, and threw punches at the victim, who bled from his right arm as a result. 

The victim was examined at a polyclinic later that day and was found to have a superficial abrasion on his right arm. 

SECOND INCIDENT

Separately, on Dec 29, 2024, Yu was at a food court in Bukit Panjang Plaza when he brushed past a 30-year-old man while saying "excuse me".

Perceiving his behaviour to be rude and inappropriate, the victim tapped Yu on the shoulder and said: "Can you don’t be so rude?” He then left. 

But Yu confronted the victim and pushed him twice on the chest, causing the victim to hit his lower back against a pillar.

Although the man tried to put some distance between Yu and himself, Yu continued to pursue him. The victim pushed Yu back before members of the public intervened. 

The victim sustained a bruise on his lower back from the incident. 

Yu offered to pay restitution to both victims, but the taxi driver was unable to quantify his medical expenses. Meanwhile, Yu compensated the other victim about S$160. 

Reading from a letter in court, Yu, who did not have a lawyer, apologised for his behaviour and said he took full responsibility. 

"I deeply regret any harm caused," Yu said, adding that he would learn from the experience and would not repeat such behaviour. 

For voluntarily causing hurt, Yu could have been jailed up to three years, or fined up to S$5,000, or both.