Man in Marsiling getaway attempt charged with drug, weapon and other offences; wants to claim trial

SINGAPORE — A man seen in a viral video attempting to drive out of tight traffic while being pursued by police officers on foot was charged in court on Thursday (May 30) with multiple offences.

Muhammad Idris Musbah, a 36-year-old Singaporean man, was given 12 charges ranging from drug possession to being a long-time member of a secret society.

Other charges include being part of an unlawful assembly that intended to cause hurt to a person with a deadly weapon, and possessing a knuckleduster.

The police prosecutor sought an adjournment of four weeks citing pending investigations.

He asked for no bail to be given, saying this was a "warrant to arrest matter", meaning there had been a warrant out for Idris' arrest.

Idris appeared in court via video link from his place of remand.

He said he would be claiming trial to one of the charges - the one about the unlawful assembly with deadly weapon - and asked for a phone call.

The judge told him to put in his request to the authorities at the lock-up.

His case was adjourned for a pre-trial conference in June.

According to a police statement, the police responded to a call for help at the junction of Admiralty Road and Marsiling Lane at about 5.50pm on Tuesday.

Officers spotted Idris attempting to manoeuvre his car out of stationary traffic. A video online shows lines of cars that had stopped at a red light.

The police arrested Idris "after a short scuffle", they said. It was later discovered that Idris was wanted by both the police and the Central Narcotics Bureau.

Drug paraphernalia and weapons including a baton, knife and knuckleduster were seized from Idris, along with seven cash cards and suspected drugs.

According to the police statement, Idris is facing investigations for other offences including driving without a licence or insurance, using a deregistered vehicle, displaying a forged licence and carrying a truncheon in public. CNA