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SINGAPORE – Dressed in an emergency medical services (EMS) shirt with black pants, a full-time national service member of the Singapore Civil Defense Force (SCDF) told a sentry officer at the fire station Sengkang who was an off-duty EMS officer. and needed to speak to a colleague inside.
Haziq Syamim Esa, who had cycled to the fire station, was allowed into the facility around 3 am on March 12 and robbed an ambulance parked in a bay.
He then drove the ambulance to The Amore condo in Edgedale Plains, Punggol, to visit his girlfriend who lived there.
Later, other SCDF officers saw him at the condo and police were alerted.
The 21-year-old Singaporean pleaded guilty in district court on Wednesday (November 4) to one count of robbery and cheating. He also admitted to an unrelated charge of causing harm to another person by performing a reckless act.
The court heard that in the early hours of March 12, an SCDF paramedic had brought the ambulance to the fire station and parked it in the bay, with the engine running.
Deputy Prosecutor Cheng Yuxi said: “As part of standard operating procedures, the driver did not lock the ambulance and left the key in the ignition with the engine running, as this would allow for a faster response to incidents.”
Haziq then entered the station and left in the ambulance.
When he got to the condo, he turned on the ambulance’s flashing lights and tricked a security guard into thinking there was a medical emergency.
The DPP told the court: “Therefore, the defendant intentionally induced (the guard) to raise the barrier for the ambulance to enter, as it was an emergency vehicle.”
SCDF officers at the station found the missing ambulance around 4 a.m. and deployed a group of firefighters in a light fire attack vehicle, also known as a red rhino, to search for it.
They found the vehicle at the condo later that morning and Haziq was taken into custody.
In an unrelated incident, Haziq drove a Toyota Prius rented from Giant Hypermarket on Tampines North Drive 2 on May 2 and approached a couple after telling a security guard that he was there to pick up passengers.
A taxi driver approached him and told him that promoting was illegal. An argument broke out between the two men, after which Haziq returned to his vehicle.
But the taxi driver tried to stop him from standing in front of his car. Haziq then swerved the car to the right, hitting the taxi driver who fell to the ground.
Haziq left instead of stopping to help. The court heard that the taxi driver suffered scratches on his right elbow.
On Wednesday, the court heard that Haziq has a history of schizophrenic disorder. The court has requested reports to assess his suitability for parole and a mandatory treatment order (MTO).
Offenders who receive an MTO must undergo treatment to address their mental conditions rather than being incarcerated. Haziq will be sentenced on December 11.
For theft, you can be imprisoned for up to seven years and fined. And for cheating, you can be jailed for up to three years and fined.
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