A Singaporean e-hailing driver was brutally assaulted by two passengers simply because he told them to pipe down and stop arguing.
Following the assault, the driver was left with a fractured nose and a lifetime of trauma.
Fought over money
According to Shin Min Daily News, the incident occurred at around 3am on Jul 4, 2025, on the Pan Island Expressway.
The driver, Zheng Yaohui (transliteration), came to pick Wu Weiliang and Li Yuancheng up from a nightclub, where the duo immediately started arguing about money once they got into the car.
At one point, Wu raised his hand at Li as though he wanted to hit him.
Zheng then told the pair to either calm down or have him escort them to the police station. Angered, Wu threatened to attack Zheng, who told him that the e-hailing app was still operating and recording the entire incident.
However, this failed to dissuade Wu, who continued to hurl insults at Zheng.
Beaten and kicked
Zheng proceeded to pull over and contacted police, which led to Li attempting to punch him before Wu did the same.
After falling to the ground, the men continued to punch and kick Zheng for close to two minutes until Li saw blood pouring out from Zheng’s nose and told Wu to stop.
Despite this, they didn’t stop yelling profanities at Zheng.
Zheng managed to run to the middle of the road to seek help while Wu and Li fled the scene.
He was later found to have suffered minor head injuries, a lacerated nose, a fractured nasal bridge, and bruising around his right eye.
Zheng was also given five days of sick leave, incurring medical expenses of around S$617 (approx. RM1,915)
Jailed
Wu later arrested on Sept 18 and released on bail the next day.
He eventually pleaded guilty to one count of intentionally causing grievous bodily harm, one count of intentionally causing bodily harm, and one count of the Prevention of Harassment Act (POHA).
The court sentenced him to 17 weeks in jail and ordered him to pay Zheng S$308.50 (approx. RM957).
As for Li, he was jailed for 12 weeks in March earlier this year.
No apology given
Zheng told Shin Min that to this day, neither Wu or Li have personally apologised to him for the incident.
He added that he is still traumitised by the assault, which in turn has affected his work routine.
I used to drive until the early hours of the morning, but now I finish work at 11pm, and I don’t pick up passengers in the drinking area anymore.
Zheng also revealed that he still has a small lump remains on his nose, which cause him to have difficulty breathing.
While Li reportedly compensated Zheng S$308.50, Wu didn’t follow suit.
