Man hit by car, father scratched after scuffle with taxi driver over rude hand gesture

An altercation broke out between a father-son pair and a taxi driver on the road, all over a rude hand gesture displayed by the latter.

The incident happened on Friday (July 14) at about 1pm around Blk 133 Jalan Bukit Merah, reported Shin Min Daily News.

The 39-year-old victim, himself a part-time cabby, told the Chinese daily that he'd just finished work and was about to drive his father home.

As he was exiting the car park, however, he noticed a taxi driver in front of him stretching his hand out of the window, gesturing at him with his middle finger three times.

"We didn't know why he did this, so we were very angry," said the man, surnamed Wu.

Wu pressed his horn to signal to the driver to stop his car, which he did at the side of the road.

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"My dad and I got out of the car to question him about the rude hand gesture, but the taxi uncle insulted us in Hokkien and made a motion as if to hit us as he was getting out of the car. He then got into a scuffle with my dad, scratching my dad's arm in the process," said Wu.

The taxi driver then returned to his vehicle. Sensing that he was about to escape, Wu and his father stood in front of the taxi to stop him from leaving.

"But he suddenly stepped on the accelerator and hit me, hurting my left leg. I immediately called the police," said Wu.

He shared that they both gave their statements to the police upon their arrival. Wu told Shin Min that it was fortunate their injuries were minor. In photos taken by Shin Min, Wu's dad is shown to have a wound on his left forearm.

"Thankfully my bones didn't get fractured," Wu added.

When contacted, a police spokesperson confirmed that they'd received a report of a case of rash act on July 14 at 1.40pm.

According to a police statement, two men aged 39 and 66 were found to have sustained light injuries but declined conveyance to the hospital. A 62-year-old man was arrested for rash act causing hurt. The case is under investigation.

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candicecai@asiaone.com