Car Crashes into Traffic Light During Toa Payoh Police Chase; Driver Flees on Foot

Getting into a police chase is in vogue now apparently.

Car Crashes in Toa Payoh Police Chase

On 27 July, at some time after 2:05 pm, a black car was caught on video at the junction of Lorong 3 and Lorong 4 Toa Payoh.

Travelling at high speeds, it attempted a sharp right turn but instead flew up on the kerb in a cloud of dust and crashed into a traffic light pole.

To its credit, the traffic light pole wobbled fiercely from the impact but stayed upright, though the light eventually faded.

Any possibility that this was just a strange accident disappeared as two police cars immediately pulled up, lights flashing, and surrounded the black Toyota car.

According to the police, they had responded to a call at the nearby Block 177 Toa Payoh Central at 2:05 pm. Upon their arrival, the black car sped off and ended up crashing at the junction.

As the police officers alighted their vehicles, the driver of the black car bolted from the wreck and sprinted down the pavement as fast as his legs could carry him.

It’s nice to see Singaporeans getting into the Olympics spirit.

Two officers gave chase at once, with a man hurriedly pulling a young girl away from the running men.

The white-shirted driver dashed down the footpath before crossing Lorong 4 Toa Payoh behind a bus, with the police hot on his heels.

Despite his efforts, the 27-year-old driver was caught and arrested by the police.

2 Arrested on Drug-Related Charges

The black car also contained a 25-year-old male passenger who was injured in the crash. I guess the driver bailed on him.

He too was arrested by police and carried out on a stretcher to a waiting ambulance. Both suspects were taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital by the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).

Another video showed the car wreck swarming with policemen, searching through every inch of the vehicle.

Shin Min Daily News reported that a Police K9 unit was also at the scene in Toa Payoh, sniffing at the car’s trunk.

Inside the vehicle, the police found a knuckleduster (or brass knuckles), a knife, and substances suspected to be controlled drugs, alongside drug paraphernalia.

The police stated that the driver would be investigated for suspected drug trafficking, possessing and consuming controlled drugs, possessing weapons, careless driving, driving without a valid licence, possessing a forged licence, and worst of all, driving without valid insurance.

The passenger, meanwhile, was only arrested for suspected drug trafficking, possessing and consuming controlled drugs, and possessing weapons.

This case bore some similarities to a recent one in Geylang, where a van driver, also without a valid licence, drove recklessly away from chasing police and even abandoned the vehicle to run on foot. The van driver also bit a police officer.

The drug charges for that case remain unclear, meaning he could have actually bitten the officer while completely sober.