Man, 23, taken to hospital after knife attack at NTUC FairPrice in Boon Lay

[UPDATE Oct 8] The police have arrested an 18-year-old man over a knife attack outside NTUC Fairprice in Boon Lay shopping centre.

In a news release today, the police said the suspect was identified and arrested on the same day of the incident.

A court order is being sought by prosecutors and the police for the man to be remanded at the Institute of Mental Health for psychiatric evaluation.

He will be charged in court on Oct 9 for voluntarily causing grievous hurt by a dangerous weapon.

If found guilty, he may face life imprisonment or a jail term of up to 15 years, and will also be liable to caning or if he is not sentenced to imprisonment for life, liable to fine.

A shopper in the supermarket recounted to Stomp: "Two men were fighting and one of them was later seen returning with a chopper. He shouted in Hokkien and suddenly started attacking the other man.

"Everyone ran away and the attacker fled, while the injured man was lying on the floor."

FairPrice staff then approached the victim and helped to stop the bleeding by applying pressure to his head.

---

A 23-year-old man was injured in an attack outside NTUC FairPrice in Boon Lay shopping centre this afternoon (Oct 7).

The police told AsiaOne that a man had attacked the victim with a knife, causing injuries to his face and head.

Investigations into a case of voluntarily causing grievous hurt by a dangerous weapon are underway.

Shortly after the attack, a Facebook user shared photos of the area outside the supermarket cordoned off by police tape.

Paramedics were also seen attending to the victim's injuries as he sat on the floor near the outlet's entrance, in clips posted by another Facebook user.

His head appeared to be bleeding profusely.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force told AsiaOne that they received a call for assistance at 12.40pm. Paramedics conveyed the victim to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital.

In response to AsiaOne's queries, a FairPrice spokesperson said: "Our staff rendered immediate assistance and ensured that the safety of our shoppers was not compromised. Our store operations remain unaffected."

lamminlee@asiaone.com