Elderly man in his 70s thrown to ground for patting girl on head at East Coast coffee shop

An elderly man was thrown to the ground by a man at an East Coast coffee shop after he patted a young girl on the head as he walked past her table.

The younger man is believed to be the girl's father.

According to the elderly man's family, the incident has left him with "severe back pain", adding to his physical difficulties.

Pat on the head

The incident was first shared on Aug. 15 on the Facebook and Instagram pages of Bei-Ing Wanton Noodle.

According to Google Maps, the noodle stall has two outlets, one of which is at Roxy Square.

A family member of the elderly man, supposedly in his 70s, detailed the incident in the social media posts.

They also shared closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage of the incident.

According to the CCTV timestamp, the incident appeared to have taken place at around 4:37pm on Aug. 15.

In the video, the elderly man could be seen walking with a limp across the coffee shop, in between tables of patrons.

As he passed by a table with a young girl, the elderly man reached out to pat the girl on her head.

This prompted a woman at the table, presumably the girl's mother, to reach out with her hand in a bid to stop the elderly man from doing so.

Girl's father reacts

A man, wearing a cyan T-shirt, then rushed back to the table to confront the elderly man.

The man, presumably the girl's father, could be seen gesticulating as the elderly man responded.

The video has no audio.

During the course of the altercation, the father grabbed the elderly man by his arm and swung him around, causing the elderly man to fall to the ground.

The elderly man was later helped up by others at the coffee shop.

Man apologised, offered drink

The elderly man's family member wrote in the social media posts that the girl's father apologised after the initial confrontation and offered a drink.

However, the elderly man was now "suffering severe back pain" following the incident.

The family member commented that while the apology is appreciated, "a drink and an apology cannot simply take away the physical pain or injuries he is experiencing."

The family member explained that they are sharing about the incident to "identify the man involved and seek justice for [their] father".

"We are not looking for anyone to harass or confront him. We simply want the truth to be known and for this matter to be addressed appropriately," they added.

In another video shared on Telegram channel sgfollowsall, the girl's father could be seen seated on a chair and speaking with the elderly man.

Online reactions

On Instagram, the post has garnered more than 9,200 reposts and over 33,700 likes at the time of writing.

In a comment on their Instagram post, the family member admitted that their elderly father "probably disturbed their peace".

"Some parents don't like strangers touching their kids and I completely understand that [to be honest] I wouldn't like it either," the family member wrote.

"But pushing an elderly man over something like this?" the family member asked, adding, "There are ways to tell someone to back off without getting physical."

While commenters recognised that the father might understandably be trying to protect his daughter, they took issue with his seemingly disproportionate reaction.

The incident has also drawn reactions from online personalities and celebrities, with some leaving comments on the Instagram post.

Actor Romeo Tan reposted the video on his Instagram stories with the caption, "There was absolutely no need to get physical."

"Ah Boys to Men" actor Noah Yap similarly shared the post on his Instagram story, adding that he will be visiting the elderly man, whom he has gotten to know by visiting the stall for over 20 years.

Yap has since posted about his visit, sharing that the elderly man is doing well but has refused to visit a doctor.

The elderly man's family member shared in an Aug. 16 post that they have yet to identify the couple in the video and noted that they will continue to pursue this matter "until it has been properly investigated and dealt with appropriately under the law".