Man to be Charged for Hitting Temperature Screening Officer Who Told Him to Wear His Mask

COVID-19 has forced us to adapt to a new normal of life.

Wearing masks, TraceTogether, and temperature-taking have all just become part of the “new normal” now.

And for your and others’ safety, it’s best to follow these rules.

But instead of rectifying his mistakes, one man decided to take matters into his own hands.

Literally.

Man to be Charged for Hitting Temperature Screening Officer Who Told Him to Wear His Mask

On Tuesday (23 March), a 26-year-old man was charged for attacking a temperature screening officer.

The police released a statement on 22 March detailing the incident.

On 30 September 2020, the man drove up to the temperature screening point at Pasir Panjang Wholesale Centre.

He was approached by an officer for temperature taking.

The report noted that the man did not wear a mask while speaking to the screening officer. When the officer asked him to put on his mask before proceeding with the temperature screening, that’s when he got out of his car.

Things got physical not long after.

Getting Violent

First, the man refused to wear his mask.

He then swung open his car door, which apparently hit the screening officer’s thigh.

The man subsequently alighted from his vehicle and got into a dispute with the screening officer.

But instead of talking it out, the man allegedly pushed the screening officer and punched him.

And you know Singapore doesn’t take these kinds of issues lightly.

The offence of using criminal force carries a jail term of up to three months, a fine of up to S$1,500, or both.

Meanwhile, voluntarily causing hurt carries a jail term of up to three years, a fine of up to S$5,000, or both.

The police also issued a warning against those who would carry out such actions.

“Members of the public should cooperate and comply with the instructions from such personnel, who are performing an important duty to keep us and our community safe.”

Attacking the Authorities

Most people usually would not be silly enough to fight back against law enforcement.

However, the keyword is most, and there are some who still take the chance to do things like that.

Take for example the man who attacked two Certis Cisco officers after they caught him throwing a cigarette bud on the ground last year.

The situation escalated so much that the 53-year-old man even threw a bicycle at them.

He was charged in December 2020 for causing hurt to a public servant, and another for attempting to use criminal force on a public servant and sentenced to 18 weeks of jail.

It was later revealed that he was a repeat offender and had been charged before with other crimes.

These included criminal intimidation, using threatening words and behaviour, and breaching an expedited protection order.

Moral of the story? If you get caught for a crime, not complying is only going to make things more difficult for you.

Feature Image: Dmitry Naumov / Shutterstock.com