'Hold bus until I finish smoking'
Man punches driver who says no
By Hedy Khoo
10 June 2007
HE flagged a bus but didn't board it immediately after it stopped
for him.
The reason - he was still puffing away at his cigarette and he
wanted the bus driver to wait for him until he was done.
When the driver told the man he couldn't do so, he grudgingly
stubbed out the cigarette and boarded the bus with a friend.
While on board, he created a ruckus.
Then, he bashed up the driver.
According to one witness, he hit the driver while the bus was
moving.
The attack happened last Wednesday around 7.55 pm.
The man appeared to be in his 30s.
He boarded the number 124 bus opposite Tan Tock Seng Hospital on
Moulmein Road.
According to SBS Transit, the man, who was smoking, asked the bus
driver to wait for him to finish his cigarette before
boarding.
Bus driver Wong Hing Keong, 44, explained he couldn't, as that
wouldn't be fair to other passengers.
The man then put out his cigarette, boarded the bus with a friend
and sat in the front.
Soon, he started to scold Mr Wong using vulgar language.
SBS Transit said he got up and kicked the door of the driver's
cabin. He also grabbed the driver and hit him.
Mr Wong stopped the bus by the side of the road.
SBS Transit said the man walked up to Mr Wong, caught hold of his
collar and continued to hurl abuse.
Two of Mr Wong's shirt buttons were ripped off.
The passenger punched the bus captain on the back of his head. The
man's friend then pulled him away and they went back to their
seats.
One passenger, who wanted to be identified only as Tom, said he
witnessed the incident.
Tom, 27, a restaurant supervisor, told The New Paper: 'I heard the bus driver explain to him why he
couldn't stop the bus to wait for him to finish smoking. The bus
driver was quite polite.'
Tom, who was seated on the left, in the second row from the front,
confirmed that the man, who wore a singlet and bermudas, shouted
vulgarities at the driver.
According to him, the bus driver became upset and asked the
passenger why he had used vulgarities on him.
An argument started.
'The man suddenly got up, went to
the bus driver and started raining punches on him, hitting the
driver on his head and body,' said Tom.
'I was shocked because
the driver was driving at that time, and the bus was moving in the
middle of the road,' said Tom.
Tom said there was a scuffle after the bus pulled to a stop.
'The man's friend tried to pull
him away, but he was too violent, and the friend simply went back
to his seat,' he recounted.
Tom added: 'Nobody else did
anything because all the passengers were too shocked and the
scuffle lasted for only two minutes.'
'The fight ended when the bus
driver shouted at the man to stop and said he would report the
matter to the police.'
The driver stopped the bus opposite Quality Hotel on Balestier
Road, and called for assistance from the control centre, keeping
the doors locked.
According to SBS Transit, Mr Wong alerted the operations control
centre and a traffic inspector was despatched to assist him.
POLICE NOTIFIED
The police were also notified. They said the alleged assailant will
be helping in the ongoing investigations.
The New Paper was unable to reach Mr Wong as he was on three days
of medical leave.
After the assault, he had been sent to Tan Tock Seng Hospital for
observation and an X-ray, because he had complained of pain in the
head and dizziness.
This latest incident brings the total number of assault cases on
bus captains this year to 16.
SBS Transit said there were 14 such cases last year.
