S'porean family in Hong Kong reportedly unhappy with smoker at table beside them, arrested after fight

The man reportedly attacked them with a bottle.

Matthias Ang | December 20, 2023, 05:07 PM

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A Singaporean family of three has been arrested in Hong Kong after allegedly getting into a fight with a local after they were attacked for complaining about him smoking at a table beside where they were eating, local media reported.

Family had reportedly complained about a man who was smoking nearby

According to HK01, the incident occurred on Dec. 10, 2023, along Woosung Street in Kowloon.

The Singaporean family — consisting of a 54-year-old man, his 52-year-old wife and his 17-year-old son — was eating at a food stall.

They were reportedly unhappy with a 50-year-old man who was smoking at the table beside them and complained about it.

When the family left the stall to wait for a taxi, the man allegedly came up from behind to hit the 54-year-old man on the back of his head with a bottle before attempting to escape.

The family then chased the man to a junction nearby, where a scuffle broke out between them.

Caught on video

Videos on social media of the incident showed two men pining down another man in a blue shirt on the road.

A woman is then seen yelling at the two men to let her husband go and pushing them.

Another video showed police personnel approaching the scene and a police van stopping in the background.

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Things reportedly turned bloody & vulgar

According to HK01, witnesses claimed that the 52-year-old woman was holding a bloody tissue. They also said the 54-year-old man told people in English that the man on the ground "[tried] to run away".

While the local man was pinned on the ground, a woman who claimed to be the man's wife rushed to the scene and scolded the Singaporeans, then shouted for help, "Ah! My husband has been attacked, ah!"

HK01 reported that witnesses claimed that upon hearing her calls for help, "several burly men" rushed to "rescue" the local, resulting in more confusion amidst a slew of vulgarities thrown around.

The situation calmed down only after police arrived with batons and shields.

Family arrested along with the man

HK01 reported that the police arrested both the family and the man under "assault occasioning actual bodily harm" (AOABH).

All four of them were reported to have been injured in the tussle.

They were subsequently conveyed to the hospital for treatment.

In response to CNA's queries, the Hong Kong police replied that a 50-year-old Hong Kong man got into an argument with the Singaporean man over "noise issues" and supposedly attacked him with a glass cup.

The local man has been released on bail pending further investigation and is required to report to the police in early January.

The Singaporean family has also been released, according to the Hong Kong police.

Top screenshots via HK01/YouTube