2 hawkers arrested for fighting at Whampoa Food Centre, man wielded chopper at his employer

A chicken rice stall owner had a row with his employee at Whampoa Drive Block 90 Food Centre with his employee chasing him with a chopper in hand at one point.

Both were later arrested for affray.

Responding to Mothership's queries, the police said they received a call for assistance at about 7:50pm on Sep. 20.

Two men, aged 54 and 62, were arrested by the police. The 62-year-old man, the employee, is also under investigation for criminal intimidation.

Dispute over salary

When Shin Min Daily News interviewed an eyewitness, she revealed that the dispute was over the employee's salary. He was unhappy over his salary.

The two were discussing the matter when the employee abruptly stood up and waved his fists angrily.

The owner rose from his seat and took a defensive stance, managing to block the employee's blow before return the hit.

After exchanging blows, the employee grabbed a chopper from the stall.

To avoid escalating the conflict further, the owner immediately ran out of the hawker centre, and the employee gave chase.

The eyewitness and her husband also ran out and called the police.

When the police arrived, they took eyewitness statements, and seized a 20-cm long vegetable knife.

They also retrieved closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage, which caught the fight on camera.

Cleaner begged on knees for employee to put down the knife

Upon seeing the employee wielding the chopper, the hawker centre's cleaner knelt on the ground and begged the employee to put the weapon down.

It was only after seeing the cleaner that the employee calmed down.

The cleaner was lauded for her bravery by her supervisor. The supervisor said it took bravery to attempt to stop the fight, Shin Min reported.

Employee only worked for 14 days, wanted salary for days he was not working

The stall's owner had been running the shop for 10 years, and only started reaching out for help in around March to April.

The stall hired two employees to help with operations on Sep. 4. With the food centre undergoing cleaning for three days, the employee had only worked at the stall for 14 days.

The eyewitness said that the employee told the boss he wanted to quit on Sep. 19. He added that Sep. 20 would be his last day.

The employee would earn S$140 per day of work. He claimed he should receive his salary for the three days the food centre was undergoing cleaning, but the owner refused.

Top photo via Shin Min Daily News