18-year-old man arrested for causing trouble in Bedok Mall

A normal evening for shoppers and shopkeepers at Bedok Mall took a frightening turn yesterday, when a man wielding a pair of scissors caused a ruckus.

In a Facebook update at around 7.30pm yesterday, the police said they arrested an 18-year-old man found holding onto a pair of scissors and "causing trouble" in the mall.

"The man who has a history of mental health problems has been arrested for public nuisance. Police investigations are ongoing," the post added. No one was injured.

Witnesses told The New Paper that the incident occurred at around 5.45pm. According to them, the man, in a singlet and jeans, came in from a ground-level entrance near the McDonald's outlet in the mall and walked past a row of shops.

He went into some of these shops and swept and pushed things down - all while brandishing his pair of scissors.

He was eventually pinned down and restrained by about four people in watch shop H2 Hub.

Bedok Mall's General Manager Mustafa Abdul Rahim said the mall is helping the police in their investigations. TNP understands that fewer than 10 shops were affected.

SCARY

Madam Joyce Woo, a staff member in H2 Hub, described the experience as "scary".

She told TNP: "When he came in, there was already quite a lot of people going after him, trying to stop him. Later, some people tackled him and he just lay down and did not move."

She and her staff lowered the shop's shutters halfway to prevent the man from escaping.

TNP understands that among those who helped pin the man down were two security officers and an off-duty policeman.

When TNP arrived at the scene at about 7.20pm, some shopkeepers were clearing up the mess. A G2000 outlet still sported a broken scanner, which lay on the shop's floor.

Another shop the man created a mess in was Watches of Japan, which is beside G2000.

Staff member Richard Ng, 57, said he heard the man shouting gibberish and quickly brought the shop's standee in, but forgot to keep a vase containing flowers on the shop counter.

"He pushed the vase and broke it as he walked past us. The man was shouting things that I could not understand."

The Body Shop's boutique manager Vivien Yang, 36, said she and her staff hid in a corner when the man entered their shop. She estimated he had caused about $500 worth of damages.

Pointing to a mess of damaged tubes and bottles on the shop floor, she said: "He came in and pushed some things down, like the small items and a stand that we had.

"Luckily, he left soon after. We were all hiding in the corner, it was quite frightening."

The maximum penalty for public nuisance is a $1,000 fine.