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Sunday Times COMMUNICATIONS manager K.M. Ho was looking for a parking lot at an open-air carpark next to Wheelock Place on Friday night when someone suddenly banged on the back of his car. Puzzled, the 36-year-old got out, only to be punched in the face and slammed twice onto two cars by an American sailor reeking of alcohol. The assault left Mr Ho with a facial wound which needed four stitches, internal bleeding in his left eye and cuts on his nose. His brand-new $500 spectacles were shattered and his sports utility vehicle had a 10cm dent on the left from the impact of his being flung onto it. The sailor fled when some passers-by shouted at him. A few gave chase but did not catch him. One of them, undergraduate Lim Jiaqi, 21, said the sailor had disturbed others in the carpark minutes before attacking Mr Ho. Said Mr Lim: 'The same man had rushed into a woman's car while she was loading groceries into her car boot. He locked himself in and refused to get out. Some people at a nearby pub had to drag him out of the car.' The sailor was described as big-size and at least 1.8m tall. From the description provided, police officers tracked down the suspect, who was still in the vicinity, and took him to the police station. Mr Ho was taken to the Singapore General Hospital in an ambulance. But what happened later made him fuming mad. 'I was asked to go to Tanglin police station to identify my assailant. As soon as I identified the sailor, he was taken away by the American navy police. He left earlier than me!' he said. The suspect was taken away by officers from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), a group of law enforcement officers who 'protect' members of the United States Navy and Marine Corps. The NCIS has a field office in Singapore but it declined to reveal details about the suspect or what action it would take. Mr Ho, on the other hand, reached home at only 5.30am, after a two-hour-long interview by a police officer to record his statement. The police said they questioned the suspect but did not arrest him because the alleged offence - voluntarily causing hurt - is not a seizable one. A police spokesman said: 'The complainant was advised to lodge a magistrate's complaint should he wish to pursue the case against the defendant.' Singapore plays host to several US logistic facilities. US Navy personnel by the shipload often throng Orchard Road and major tourist spots whenever American warships make port visits here. Mr Ho said NCIS officer Ayren M. Jacobs told him that he would meet him today to follow up on investigations into the alleged assault. Mr Ho said: 'I just want justice.'