Woman Gets Attacked by 5 PMA Riders in Sembawang for Telling Them to Slow Down

The last thing you’d expect from those on Personal Mobility Aids (PMAs) is for several of them to pull up and beat the crap out of you. After all, PMAs are just motorised wheelchairs.

Unfortunately for one woman, this exact situation allegedly took place.

5 PMA Riders Confront & Attack Woman

According to Lianhe Zaobao, the incident took place at 4:05 pm on 27 July, outside Sembawang Crescent’s Skypark Residences condos.

A 46-year-old woman was walking her dog and exiting one of the condo’s gates when she saw a PMA moving down the footpath towards her at an allegedly high speed.

She then yelled at the PMA rider to slow down.

Unexpectedly, three other PMAs then arrived, with all of them stopping around the woman.

A total of five people confronted her, one of them straight up taking their slipper off and striking the victim in the face.

One of them yelled at her, saying she should be looking out for them instead and even indicated that she shouldn’t be walking on the footpath, an argument which wouldn’t make sense to a Primary One kid.

The second PMA rider then attacked her by shoving her hard enough to knock her spectacles and phone to the ground. A subsequent push then knocked her to the ground.

She claimed that each time she would try to stand up, one of the PMA riders would push her back down again.

A construction worker across the street took a video of the encounter.

One short clip uploaded to Facebook showed the victim seated on the footpath with five people standing over her. Several of them made seemingly threatening gestures at her.

A young girl could also be spotted on one of the PMAs, watching the scene unfold.

Police Investigating PMA Riders Who Attacked Woman

Clearer photos from the 46-year-old showed three PMAs, as reported, and five adults, judging from the matching clothing. There was also a toddler clasped in the arms of a woman.

After the PMA “gang” left, the construction workers went to check on the attacked victim, passing her the footage they had recorded.

The 46-year-old suffered bloody scrapes and abrasions across her body alongside broken spectacles from the confrontation, but she declined to be taken to the hospital.

After seeing a doctor, she was recommended to use a wheelchair for the time being, ironically making her an appropriate user for a PMA if she chooses.

The police are investigating four people between 36 and 41 for voluntarily causing hurt and harassment.

PMA Regulations Under Review for Misuse

Unlike other Personal Mobility Devices (PMDs), PMAs cannot be ridden on roads and have a maximum speed limit of 10 km/h. It is unclear how fast the three PMAs involved were going.

These rules make sense since PMAs are wheelchairs with motors for those with physical difficulties.

Although it cannot be fully confirmed, it does seem like people who can get up and allegedly physically attack a woman probably don’t need a PMA.

The misuse of PMAs has long drawn the ire of Singaporeans. In December 2023, the Active Mobility Advisory Panel submitted their recommendations for review of PMA regulations, including proposing that only those with medical needs can ride the mobility aids around.

Currently, these recommendations have not yet been implemented.

Shin Min Daily News also reported that the Skypark condo residents faced a PMD speeding problem around the area, including from delivery riders.