Wanted man climbed out of 9th storey flat to avoid capture after fleeing from police roadblock
A wanted man was so desperate to evade arrest that he risked his life by climbing out of a kitchen window to get into a neighbouring flat on the ninth storey.
Muhammad Mustaqim Ismail had earlier sped away from a roadblock before finding his way into the first Housing Board flat, with the police on his heels.
Hiding in the second unit, he begged its occupant not to tell the officers he was there.
But the resident alerted the police and let them in to arrest Mustaqim.
Court documents did not state why he was wanted by the police at the time of the incident.
Mustaqim, 32, who is now in remand, pleaded guilty on Friday to charges that include cheating, evading a roadblock and criminal trespass.
On April 2, 2020, Mustaqim had a dispute with a 55-year-old man and armed himself with a sword before confronting the older man. The location has been redacted in court documents.
The two men got into a fight and Mustaqim suffered head injuries.
Feeling giddy, he took a taxi to Changi General Hospital (CGH) but he did not take his NRIC as he knew he was a wanted man.
Mustaqim found photographs of another man's NRIC on his mobile phone and used that man's particulars to register himself as a patient at the hospital. It was not stated why he had the pictures.
Mustaqim received stitches to his head, among other medical procedures, and left CGH without paying his bills, which totalled $126.
On June 1, 2020, around 2.30am, he was driving a car without a licence in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1, with a 44-year-old friend sitting beside him, when they encountered a roadblock.
Instead of complying with a policeman's order to stop, Mustaqim sped away, and the officer's colleagues gave chase.
When they lost sight of the car, the officer asked for more help from the police to locate the vehicle.
Meanwhile, the two men went to a block in Sin Ming Avenue, where Mustaqim's passenger used a key to enter a friend's home and they hid there. It was not stated where the occupant was at the time.
When the pair heard banging on the front door, they realised the police were outside.
So they climbed out of a kitchen window to enter the flat next door. The resident, who encountered Mustaqim, led the police to him.
His passenger managed to escape by climbing out of the kitchen window. Court papers did not say what happened to him after that.
After his arrest, Mustaqim's urine was tested and found to contain traces of methamphetamine. He was later released on bail, but absconded.
On Jan 28, 2022, he was riding his cousin's motorcycle in Yishun Avenue 9 when a police officer stopped him for a routine check.
Mustaqim stopped the vehicle and dismounted, but he tried to run away when he was questioned by the officer. He was caught soon after.
A battery-operated stun device disguised as a torch and four packets of a crystalline substance, which was later found to contain methamphetamine, were discovered when the motorcycle was searched.
Mustaqim will be sentenced next Monday.
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