Three American brothers plead guilty to being armed with knives at Orchard Plaza

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

- Samuel Devaraj

Albert Max Martinez-Arizala, 25, Alexis Jesus Martinez-Arizala, 21, and Alejandro Martinez-Arizala Jr, 18, on 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.

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.