62-year-old man arrested after alleged harassment and taxi damage incident in Chinatown

A 62-year-old man was arrested for public drunkenness after a video appearing to show him harassing a taxi driver and damaging a taxi in Singapore’s Chinatown circulated on social media on 11 May, police said.

The man is also being investigated for alleged mischief following the incident, which took place near Upper Cross Street on Monday evening.

The 76-second video, widely shared online, appeared to show a man in a blue shirt pursuing another man in an orange T-shirt, identified as the taxi driver, as the pair moved around a red Trans-Cab taxi.

The man in blue was seen opening the vehicle’s front doors and appearing to kick the driver’s and front passenger’s seats from outside the taxi. Throughout the video, he appeared unsteady on his feet.

Both men were also seen holding their mobile phones towards each other during the confrontation.

At one point, the man in blue appeared to kick the taxi’s left side-view mirror, breaking it and leaving it hanging from the vehicle.

The video, uploaded on TikTok, had recorded 39,900 views and 106 comments at the time of reporting.

The caption accompanying the post read: “Spotted earlier this afternoon at Singapore’s Chinatown, OG taxi stand. No idea what happened before unc starting whacking the taxi.”

Several users commented on the incident, with remarks including “Tom and Jerry”, “definitely will be charged by Taxi company”, and “he don't know now everything is on camera. powerful.. all evidence is there.. good luck to him.”

Another comment read: “Not sure what happened earlier that make this uncle so mad but really not worth it especially Red Taxi.”

When contacted on 12 May, police said they had received a call for assistance at Upper Cross Street at about 5.50pm on 11 May.

Investigations are ongoing.

Trans-Cab said the driver had lodged a report with the company and that it was providing him with “the necessary support”.

The company said the taxi’s left side-view mirror, mobile data terminal and gear stick were damaged, while scratches and dents were also found on the bonnet. It added that it was still assessing the full extent of the damage.

“The driver is currently doing fine. We are assisting him with the necessary follow-up procedures,” the company said.

“The safety and well-being of our drivers and passengers remain our priority, and we will continue to cooperate fully with the authorities on the matter.”