Man stabbed to death outside CBD restaurant; father-in-law arrested

SINGAPORE — The Central Business District (CBD) was brought to a standstill on Monday (July 10) lunchtime after a man was stabbed to death outside a restaurant.

The victim collapsed outside an eatery along Boon Tat Street after apparently being knifed by an elderly man in an incident which stunned passers-by, and left staff and customers in the restaurant fearing for their safety. 

The alleged attacker told witnesses that he was the father-in-law of the victim, who was taken unconscious to the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) and died shortly after.

Mr Vinnie Ang, a waiter at the A Poke Theory restaurant, told TODAY: “When I tried to go and help (the victim), this old guy was standing there and he pushed me. 

“He was saying, ‘That’s my son-in-law, don’t help him. Let him die.’”  

As the elderly man was wielding a knife, Mr Ang said he stepped aside. Soon after, the alleged assailant put the knife down and called someone on his mobile phone. 

Mr Ang added: “He (was telling the other person on the line) he couldn’t sleep well at night, he has done it, he stabbed him ... killed him. He was saying: ‘Don’t cry, I’m old already. I’m not afraid to go (to) jail’. He just stood there until the police came.” 

The police said they received a call at 1.22pm requesting assistance at 27 Boon Tat Street, adding: “Upon arrival, a 38-year-old man was found lying motionless at the said location.”

The victim was pronounced dead at SGH at 2.13pm.

A 69-year-old man has been arrested in relation to the case and police are investigating.

Following the incident, Boon Tat Street was cordoned off for four hours by the authorities. Traffic on the street resumed at about 5.30pm. Investigators were seen collecting evidence, including a blood-stained knife. 

Shortly after the road was reopened, staff from A Poke Theory were seen washing away the pool of blood in front of the eatery. 

Restaurant manager Eldad Tan said that around 1pm, a passer-by barged into the eatery and told staff that a man outside was bleeding.

Mr Tan saw the victim lying in a pool of blood. “He was already (lying) there ... in a pool of blood and I grabbed my phone and ran out,” said Mr Tan, who went outside with Mr Ang to find out what happened.

Concerned for the safety of his staff and customers, Mr Tan returned to the restaurant, which was half-filled with people at the time, and locked the door. Mr Ang remained outside. 

Mr Ibrahim Abdul Rahman, 37, who works at Italian restaurant L’operetta Corner Bar at 7 Boon Tat Street, said he heard the commotion and stepped outside to see what had happened. 

Noticing a trail of blood along the street, he walked towards a crowd of office workers who had gathered outside A Poke Theory. 

There, he saw the victim. “I saw the guy holding (his) chest with blood all over. He looked to be in a very critical condition,” he added. 

Monday’s incident was the second stabbing in broad daylight to take place in the CBD in less than three years. 

In November 2014, Mr Kang Tie Tie, a 37-year-old Indonesian, was knifed by a robber at Raffles Place during lunchtime. The assailant, a 39-year-old Indonesian man called Arun, was sentenced to 12 years’ jail and 24 strokes of the cane. 

Mr Kang, who was carrying nearly S$800,000 in cash and cheques, was stabbed in his waist and hip, but survived the attack.