A video has been circulating across social media and on Whatsapp, showing a woman being held hostage by a man at an unspecified coffeeshop.
The incident purportedly happened at Block 108 Yishun Ring Road.
The man was seen holding the woman hostage with what appears to be a weapon pressed against her neck, as he backed away from a group of police officers.
The officers were seen trying to de-escalate the situation and calm the man down, as he tried to kick out at the officer while looking behind him.
The hostage was seen in the video appearing to be frozen in fear, as the suspect said something unintelligible to the police officers.
One of the police officers raised both his arms up in the air, seemingly in an attempt to show the suspect that they mean no harm, as they tried to convince him to let the hostage go.
A group of onlookers were also seen at the scene filming the dramatic incident, as someone told them to stop filming.
Arrested
The Straits Times reported that the 42-year-old man, was subsequently arrested earlier this morning after taking the 60-year-old woman hostage.
The Singapore Police Force said that they received a call for help at about 7.35am at Yishun Ring Road, where the man held the woman at knifepoint.
A knife was seized from the scene after the man was arrested.
Police officers tried to negotiate with the man, who took the hostage to a nearby hawker centre at Block 110, and officers who are believed to be from the Emergency Response Team arrived at the scene with sub machine guns and bulletproof vests.
The man was eventually subdued, with the officers rushing towards him and pinning him to the ground as a bystander joined and helped out.
The victim suffered minor injuries and refused conveyance to the hospital.
According to the police’s preliminary investigations, the hostage and the man didn’t know each other, and police investigations are ongoing.
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Image and video sources: DINO KARISHMA