62-Year-Old Man Arrested After Allegedly Damaging Taxi In Chinatown Dispute

Added: 2026-05-16

[00:00:00]This looks like a drunken dispute caught on camera in Chinatown, but the bigger question is what happens when public frustration spills onto the streets and innocent workers become the target. A 62-year-old man was arrested after allegedly harassing a taxi driver and damaging a Trans-Cab taxi along Upper Cross Street on May 11th. The incident was captured in a 76-second Tik Tok clip that later went viral online. In the video, the man in a blue shirt appears to circle the taxi together with the driver. Both men were filming each other using their mobile phones. But what caught attention was the man's behavior. He appeared unsteady on his feet. At one point, he opened the taxi's front doors and allegedly kicked both the driver's seat and passenger seat while standing outside the vehicle.

[00:00:56]Moments later, he was also seen kicking the taxi's side mirror, leaving it hanging from the car. Police said they received a call for assistance at around 5:50 p.m. that evening. The man was arrested for public drunkenness. He is also being investigated for mischief.

[00:01:15]Trans-Cab later confirmed the driver had reported the matter to the company. The damage reportedly went beyond the side mirror. The taxi's mobile data terminal and gearstick were also damaged. There were scratches and dents found on the bonnet as well. The company said the driver is doing fine and that support is being provided. Now, here's where the story becomes more interesting. Most people watching the video will probably focus on the behavior of the man involved, but there is another layer many may overlook. Taxi and private hire drivers are increasingly becoming frontline targets for public anger, frustration, and unpredictable encounters. These drivers spend long hours dealing with traffic pressure, difficult customers, rising operating costs, and increasingly stressful road conditions. Unlike office workers, they cannot simply walk away from conflict.

[00:02:16]They are trapped in a small enclosed space with strangers every single day.

[00:02:21]And when situations turn aggressive, they often face it alone. This incident also raises another uncomfortable reality Singapore has been quietly seeing more often. More public disputes are now being recorded instantly and spread online within minutes. That changes behavior. Some people calm down when cameras appear. Others escalate further. And once a clip goes viral, the incident stops being just a private conflict. It becomes public judgment. At the same time, viral videos rarely show the full story before the recording started. That is why investigations still matter. So far, police investigations are ongoing. And there is no indication that the taxi driver retaliated physically in the footage circulating online. But regardless of what triggered the argument, damaging someone else's property crosses into a different territory entirely, especially when the victim is simply trying to do his job. And this may not just be about one incident in Chinatown. We are seeing more public confrontations involving drivers, commuters, cyclists, and pedestrians across Singapore. Road stress feels higher. Tempers appear shorter. And increasingly, ordinary disagreements are becoming public spectacles online. The concern is not only safety. It is whether society is becoming less patient, less tolerant, and more willing to explode over small moments. Do you think enough is being done to protect drivers and reduce public aggression in Singapore? Like, share and subscribe to 22 30.