Man charged with using rear windscreen wiper to hit taxi which had baby on board

SINGAPORE — A 30-year-old man who allegedly struck a CityCab taxi during a road rage incident in Chua Chu Kang was charged on Thursday (Oct 14) with committing a rash act endangering the personal safety of others.

Joel Tan Qing Wei, a Singaporean, was purportedly the attacker captured in video clips of the incident that circulated on social media.

He appeared in court through a video-link and was offered bail of S$5,000.

There were passengers, including a baby, on board the taxi that he is accused of targeting. The taxi was on a service road beside Block 804B Keat Hong Close at about 6pm on Sunday (Oct 10).

No one was hurt and Tan was arrested on Tuesday.

Court documents stated that Tan purportedly threw a rear windscreen wiper at the rear windscreen of the taxi, causing it to shatter.

In an earlier statement, the police said that Tan had allegedly confronted the taxi driver over a traffic dispute and used his motorcycle helmet to hit the taxi, resulting in damages to the vehicle. However, the helmet was not the subject of his charge on Thursday.

The video clips circulating online showed a man shouting vulgarities at the driver, while using what looked like a helmet to repeatedly hit the vehicle’s exterior.

The clips also show both side mirrors of the taxi to be smashed. One part of the video was recorded from within the taxi, where a male passenger could be heard using his phone to call for help.

The police also said in their statement that Tan is being investigated for mischief under the Penal Code, using threatening behaviour under the Protection from Harassment Act, and failing to wear a mask in a public place under the Covid-19 (Temporary Measures) Act.

However, he has not been charged with these offences. A police prosecutor told the court that Tan is also being investigated by the Central Narcotics Bureau for drug-related offences.

District Judge Lorraine Ho offered him bail of S$5,000.

He will return to court on Oct 28 after the prosecutor asked for time for investigations to be completed.

If convicted of committing a rash act, Tan could be jailed up to six months or fined up to S$2,500, or both.

Previously, Ms Tammy Tan, group chief branding and communications officer for ComfortDelGro which owns CityCab, said that the company will be assisting the police with their investigations.