A Singaporean man has been found guilty after dragging an Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officer while refusing to stop for a fuel tank inspection.
Steve Ling Wei Liang was convicted on January 30 of a rash act endangering human life, CNA reported. The District Judge found that Ling acted recklessly by accelerating while the ICA officer was still partially inside his vehicle, showing complete disregard for the officer’s safety.
Ling is scheduled to be sentenced in March 2026 and could face up to a year in prison, a fine of up to S$5,000, or both.
Incident During Fuel Tank Check
On December 12, 2024, ICA officer Tan Yi Loong requested Ling to produce his passport during a routine check at Woodlands Checkpoint. Instead, Ling allegedly drove off while Tan’s body was partially caught in the car window, causing him injury.
Court documents reviewed by Mothership indicate that Ling went on trial on November 10, 2025, for causing hurt to Tan by accelerating while the officer was still partially inside the vehicle. Tan sustained a contusion on his right knee as a result of being dragged.
Role of ICA Officer
Tan, who joined ICA in 2020, was serving as deputy team leader and part of the first response team that day. His responsibilities included fuel gauge checks and handling security incidents.
During fuel inspections, his team would direct traffic into a single lane, slow vehicles down, and ask drivers to roll down their windows for fuel gauge checks. Vehicles leaving Singapore are required to have their fuel tanks at least three-quarters full. Ling’s car was found to have only a quarter tank of fuel.
Officer Dragged in Vehicle
Tan described the incident in court: “It ended with me going to the hospital as a result of being dragged by the car.” Footage shown in court revealed Tan checking Ling’s red car when Ling refused to comply, saying, “Sir, give me chance ah, I cannot go court.”
As Tan attempted to conduct the inspection, Ling slowly inched the car forward despite being told to stop. The car then suddenly lurched while Tan was still partially inside the window, forcing another officer to intervene.
Tan recalled gripping the steering wheel with one hand and holding onto Ling with the other. “I remember when he moved the car, he was looking at me, and I was looking at him. While grabbing onto the steering wheel with my right hand and my left hand grabbing onto him, we were both in shock,” he said. “It felt like forever. Nobody gets dragged — this is not normal, right?”
He said he felt relieved once the car finally came to a stop.
