Police Responds to Allegations That They Used Excessive Force in Viral Video of Fight in Merchant Road

“There are two sides to every story”. 

If jumping to conclusions were an Olympic sport, netizens would win the gold medal every year.

Whenever an aggrieved person complains about something online, be it in text or video, netizens often jump all over the individual accused of wrongdoing, without finding out the full story.

But as we know, there are two sides to every story. And this was once again evident with regard to a video of a police arrest.

Allegations of Excessive Force by Police

On Friday (5 Feb), the Facebook page “Wake Up, Singapore” shared a series of videos showing two men being apprehended and pinned down on the floor.

In the video, one officer could be see striking one of the men behind the knees with a baton, as the individual seemed resistant to arrest and would not go down to the floor.

Towards the end of the video, one of the arrested individuals is seen with a bloody face, as officers try to wash off the blood.

In the post’s caption, it’s alleged that the man with the bloody face was struck on the head and shoulder by one police officer with a baton.

According to Mothership, Wake Up, Singapore later deleted the post, but details about the case were shared on other platforms.

Netizens in Hardwarezone forum and The Online Citizen Asia claimed that the man had been hit on the head by a police officer.

The title of the thread on Hardware Zone, for instance, was “Jialat…SPF ‘plain clothes’ using baton to hit the man already kena pinned down”.

But as some commenters pointed out, the man was never actually shown being hit on the head.

And the police later confirmed this.

Police Responds to Allegations That They Used Excessive Force in Viral Video of Fight in Merchant Road

According to the police, the two men aged 18 and 22, were arrested at Merchant Road for affray and being a public nuisance.

A 16-year-old male teenager was also arrested for using abusive language against public servants, the police said in a statement on Facebook.

The police say they were alerted to the fight at around 9.40 pm on Friday. When they arrived on the scene, they determined that the three men had been fighting amongst themselves.

The police also refuted allegations that they used excessive force on one of the individuals, and gave an explanation for the man’s facial injuries.

“The Police are aware of videos posted online that did not present the full account and sequence of events.”

“There are allegations that the officers had used excessive force on the 18-year-old man in the white shirt resulting in him bleeding from the head. These allegations are untrue.”

The police said that the 18-year-old man had allegedly headbutted the 22-year-old during the scuffle.

And when officers arrived, the man already had facial injuries.

In other words, the man’s facial injuries were sustained as a result of the fight and not from the tussle with police.

“The officers had assessed the situation and applied necessary force on the man including the use of a baton in the course of arrest as he had put up a violent struggle to resist arrest.”

“Contrary to the allegations, the officers did not hit the face of the man with the baton. The man was handcuffed after he was subdued”, the police said.

The police urged members of the public not to speculate or spread unsubstantiated information.

As for the three men, they could be jailed for one year, fined up to $5,000, or both, if convicted of affray.

The offence of public nuisance carries a jail term of up to three months, a fine of up to S$2,000, or both.

Using abusive language against a public servant is also punishable by law; offenders face up to 12 months behind bars, a $5,000 fine, or both.

You can read their full statement here:

Featured Image: Facebook