Pasir Ris West Plaza slashing: 61-year-old man charged with attempted murder
The aftermath of the slashing incident at Pasir Ris West Plaza on Dec 20, 2023.
SINGAPORE — A 61-year-old man arrested after a slashing incident at Pasir Ris West Plaza has been charged with attempted murder.
Loh Chye Hoe was in Sengkang General Hospital on Thursday (Dec 21) where he was charged with the offence by a field magistrate.
He was at the hospital being treated for injuries.
Loh allegedly slashed Mr Wong Tai Huong, 46, "a few times" with a cleaver around 4.50pm on Wednesday (Dec 20).
The police said previously that on Wednesday afternoon, they had received a call for assistance at Block 734 Pasir Ris Street 72.
Upon arrival, they found a 46-year-old man, a 53-year-old woman and a 55-year-old woman with slash wounds.
Loh was arrested at the scene and taken to the hospital after he was found with injuries sustained during the attack.
Preliminary investigations revealed that he had allegedly armed himself with a chopper to attack the three victims.
They were known to each other but not on friendly terms, the police said.
In a Facebook post, Mr Teo Chee Hean, Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security, wrote that all four persons, including the suspect, were assessed to be in stable condition.
"I know that we are all concerned about the slashing incident at West Plaza on Dec 20, 2023," he wrote.
Mr Teo, who is also a Member of Parliament for the Pasir Ris—Punggol Group Representation Constituency, added: "The incident was not random. It is believed that it may be related to an ongoing dispute between the parties involved in the incident."
In a two-minute video circulating online showing the aftermath of the incident, police officers can be seen entering a shop where a man has his head covered in a piece of white clothing that looked stained with blood.
The video also showed the two purported female victims who were bloody and another man whose hands were covered in dried blood.
If found guilty, Loh could be given a life imprisonment and caned, or he could be jailed for up to 20 years and fined or caned, or both.
