A knife self-harm incident occurred in Clementi, Singapore, where a man in his 30s suddenly rushed into a durian stall, snatched a durian knife from the vendor, and stabbed himself multiple times. After sustaining injuries, the man collapsed and was later rushed to the hospital by emergency personnel.
This incident took place around noon on Monday at the void deck of Block 441B, along Clementi Avenue 3, outside Clementi Mall’s neighborhood center.
When the Lianhe Zaobao reporter arrived at the scene around 12:40pm, the injured man had already been sent to the hospital. A town council worker was using a high-pressure water gun to clean up blood stains at the scene. Large patches of blood were still visible on the ground, some covered by pieces of clothing and an adult diaper.
Blood at the scene extended more than ten meters from the incident site all the way to the open space by the mall. Many members of the public also stopped to observe.
About 20 meters from the incident location lies the 138 V+ Mart fruit stall. A staff member who declined to be named told the reporter he was opening durians at the time when the man suddenly rushed over and snatched the durian knife. “The man grabbed the knife and immediately started running. He kept stabbing himself as he ran.”
Another member of the public, also unwilling to be named, said the injured man was brandishing the knife, shouting loudly as he ran from not far away, frantically stabbing his own head and other parts of his body.
This person said that the injured man was Chinese, in his 30s. A Malay passerby, seeing what was happening, bravely rushed forward and subdued the injured man, then pressed down on his wounds to minimize blood loss.
Mr. Wang, a 50-year-old resident living on the third floor of Block 442, said he was cooking in the kitchen at the time and heard shouting from downstairs, so he went out to check. “When I stepped onto the corridor to look down, the injured man was already covered in blood, lying weakly on the ground, but he still seemed conscious.”
Mr. Wang said a passerby tightly held the injured man’s arms from behind, stopping him from continuing to harm himself. “They were in a standoff for over 20 minutes until police and medical personnel arrived.”
Mr. Wang then threw down a towel from his third-floor unit to the public gathered below, so they could use it to stem the bleeding.
The Singapore Police Force stated that they received a report at about 12:20pm indicating that someone at Block 441B, Clementi Avenue 3, needed help.
Upon arrival, police found a 34-year-old man lying on the ground, conscious, with multiple injuries suspected to be self-inflicted. He was subsequently sent to the hospital and is currently receiving treatment.
The police also said that a 56-year-old male member of the public had already disarmed the man and subdued him before the officers arrived. This member of the public was not injured but was still sent to the hospital for a check-up as a precaution.
The Civil Defence Force stated that one person was sent to National University Hospital and another was sent to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital.