SINGAPORE — Three American brothers, who were in Singapore on holiday, have pleaded guilty to having knives with them at Orchard Plaza during a confrontation.

Albert Max Martinez-Arizala, 25, Alexis Jesus Martinez-Arizala, 21, and Alejandro Martinez-Arizala Jr, 18, on Thursday (Dec 5) each admitted to a charge of being armed with a weapon that is likely to cause death.

Albert was sentenced to six weeks’ jail, while Alexis was sentenced to four weeks’ jail. Alejandro was sentenced to a short detention order of 14 days.

Offenders given such an order do not get a criminal record after their release.

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Deputy Public Prosecutor Joelle Loy said the brothers arrived in Singapore on July 26, 2024. After checking into a hotel, they visited two nightclubs.

They left for a third club in the Orchard area around 5am on July 27, but discovered it was closed.

Albert left his brothers to withdraw some cash, but it took more than an hour as he had issues at the ATM.

While waiting, Alexis and Alejandro found themselves at Tai Heng Teochew Porridge Stall, which is at level one of Orchard Plaza.

They approached two women seated at a table at the stall, and Alexis spoke to them while leaning on a movable partition.

Seeing this, the owner of the stall told him not to lean on the partition, as it was dangerous. Alexis scolded the owner, who responded angrily.

A man who identified himself as the boyfriend of one of the women then approached the two brothers and asked them if they knew his girlfriend. They said they did not, but added that they were trying to get to know her.

They exchanged words and the two brothers gestured that they wanted to fight the woman’s boyfriend.

DPP Loy said that at least three passers-by, who noticed the uproar, intervened to de-escalate the situation.

The two brothers left the stall. When they could not contact Albert directly, they borrowed a phone from a passer-by and called their mother, who was home in the US.

Their mother got in touch with Albert, and told the passer-by to notify Alexis and Alejandro of their brother’s location.

When the trio met up, Alexis and Alejandro lied and said that they were attacked by five people for leaning on a partition at a food stall. The two younger brothers said they wanted to confront them.

Seeing that his brothers were visibly angered, Albert agreed to this.

Concerned about being outnumbered, Alejandro suggested that they arm themselves.

The brothers stopped at a nearby supermarket and bought three knives, a frying pan and a bottle of disinfectant bathroom cleaner. Each knife had a blade that was 18cm long.

It was about 9am when they returned to the porridge stall, which had about nine patrons then.

The brothers demanded to know where the owner was.

Albert brandished his knife at a stall employee, and demanded the identities of the people who attacked his brother.

The worker replied that he was only a worker, and told them to go away. A co-owner of the stall who noticed the weapons alerted the police.

Several patrons also became aware that the brothers had weapons when the knife Albert kept in his back pocket ripped through his trousers and dropped to the floor.

The brothers insisted on meeting the owner, but were told he had left for the day.

Albert then demanded $300 in compensation and was rejected. He dropped it to $200, but the stall’s co-owner refused to pay.

Albert told his brothers to leave the premises quickly, and they did, heading to Orchard Point mall where they disposed of the knives and pan in a toilet.

Police officers spotted Alexis and Alejandro at the mall some time around 9.20am, and all three brothers were placed under arrest around 12pm.

DPP Loy said it was fortuitous that even though there were weapons, which had the ability to cause serious injury or even death, nobody was hurt.

The brothers’ lawyer, A. Rajandran, said that before their trip to Singapore, the three young men were ganged up on by a big group and robbed in Thailand.

He said the brothers suffer from mental issues, but acknowledged that there was no causal link with the offences in Singapore.

Individuals armed with a weapon that is likely to cause death can be jailed for up to two years, fined, or both.

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.