Man arrested after assaulting 3 people at Bedok coffee shop, knocking police officer’s glasses off and uttering vulgarities
A man, believed to have drunk multiple bottles of beer, assaulted one man and two women at a coffee shop, striking out at police officers and uttering vulgarities at them before being arrested.
The incident took place at around 8pm on Sept 4 at a coffee shop at the foot of Block 204, Bedok North Street 1.
When Shin Min Daily News arrived at the scene after receiving information about the incident, a diner, Ms Liu (transliterated), said the man was believed to have drunk about two or three bottles of beer before getting into an argument with a female employee. He then allegedly turned physically aggressive.
“The two of them grappled for a while. About half an hour later, the stall owner arrived and asked the man what had happened,” Liu said.
After the man uttered a few sentences, the female employee interjected, prompting him to become agitated and hit the stall owner.
Liu said her friend saw the owner’s spectacles being knocked off during the assault.
“Two employees who stepped in to break up the fight were also hit. The police arrived shortly afterwards, but the man even pushed the officers.”
Man allegedly assaulted female employee
Another witness, Mr Chen, said the man had allegedly assaulted the female employee before getting into a physical altercation with two other employees.
During the incident, the man also collided with another table where diners were eating, knocking over several bowls and plates.
“Drunken brawls happen occasionally, but this was the first time I’ve seen someone hit employees. One female employee had a cut on her lip and was bleeding, while another staff member said she could not lift her arm.”
When Shin Min visited the scene, the man was undergoing a breathalyser test before being handcuffed and taken into a police vehicle.
The coffee shop was also left in disarray. Spoons and plates were scattered under one of the tables, along with food remnants, while several police officers remained at the scene to conduct investigations.
Man arrested for voluntarily causing hurt to public servant
In response to Stomp’s queries, the police said it received a call for assistance at the coffee shop at 7.45pm that day.
Upon arrival, officers found several men engaged in a scuffle. When officers intervened, a 61-year-old man pushed two officers and knocked the spectacles off one of them. He also uttered vulgarities at another officer.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the 61-year-old man was involved in an altercation where he assaulted a 32-year-old man and two women, aged 29 and 25. Two other members of the public intervened and attempted to stop the man.
The 61-year-old man was arrested for using criminal force to deter a public servant from discharge of his duty and voluntarily causing hurt to deter a public servant from his duty.
He will also be investigated for voluntarily causing hurt and intentional harassment.
The two women sustained minor injuries and were conveyed conscious to the hospital.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force told Shin Min that it was alerted to the incident at 8.05pm and conveyed two people to Changi General Hospital. Two others suffered minor injuries but declined to be taken to hospital.
Laksa stall owner helps police restrain man
Speaking to reporters, a laksa stall owner who helped to restrain the man said he noticed the fight after hearing a female employee screaming.
He said that police officers asked the man to sit down after they arrived at the scene. However, the man not only refused to comply, but also allegedly resisted arrest and assaulted the officers.
“He pushed one of the police officers, and his behaviour became more aggressive. A few of us rushed over to help. I grabbed him from behind and pinned him to the ground, but he kept struggling.”
Stallholders: Man was a regular customer who never caused trouble
Stallholders said the man was a regular customer who had never caused trouble in the past.
Ali (transliterated), an employee at an Indian food stall, said the man frequently visited the coffee shop to eat, but he had never seen him cause trouble before. He also described the man as someone who was generally good-tempered.
Another stallholder, who declined to be named, said they often saw the man at the coffee shop.
“He’s a nice person, but we don’t know if he had too much to drink or was under a lot of stress. His behaviour suddenly became unusual.”
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