Family of elderly man, 73, thrown to ground at Roxy Square coffee shop lodges police report

A police report has been lodged in the Roxy Square coffee shop altercation on Aug. 15 which saw an elderly man thrown to the ground after he patted a girl on her head, seemingly without asking for permission first.

The elderly man is 73 years old this year.

He was thrown to the ground by the girl's father after the interaction.

The girl's father later apologised.

Attempted to clear the air

Recounting the incident, the 73-year-old, surnamed Yeo, told Shin Min Daily News that he was getting a cup of coffee after closing his stall.

He has been selling wanton noodles at the Roxy Square coffee shop for over 40 years.

When he passed by one of the tables, he saw a young girl who was about two to three years old.

As he found her "adorable", he reached out to gently pat her on her head.

"The girl's father had left the table, but returned after noticing the interaction. He was agitated and asked me why I did that," the elder Yeo said.

Despite attempts to clear the air, the girl's father did not buy the explanation and eventually tugged the elder Yeo by his arm and threw him onto the ground.

On the way down, the 73-year-old struck a table, causing some swelling on his head.

Girl's father apologised

The elder Yeo's 29-year-old son was inside the wanton noodle stall at the time and did not witness the altercation.

He only rushed out after hearing the commotion.

"I angrily questioned the man and asked how he could do this to an elderly man. I asked if it was his father, how would he feel?" The younger Yeo said.

The younger Yeo also shared that the 73-year-old insisted that he was alright at the time.

The elder Yeo also said that he did not notice any injuries at the time.

As such, they allowed the girl and her parents to leave.

According to the elder Yeo, the girl's father was from Australia and had apologised.

"After he learned about my physical condition, he felt ashamed and offered to buy me a drink, but I declined," the elder Yeo told Shin Min.

Family realised severity of what happened after watching CCTV footage

When Mothership visited the Roxy Square coffee shop on Aug. 16 afternoon, the elder Yeo was seen moving around with a walking frame.

He did not need one before the incident despite having a limp, Mothership understands.

The elder Yeo's family told Mothership that the 73-year-old has decided to forgive the girl's father as he has apologised.

However, the family realised the severity of what happened after reviewing the closed-circuit television footage.

They felt that it was not something that they could let go of with just a drink or an apology.

They have thus decided to share about the incident online in hopes of finding the girl's father so that the matter could be addressed appropriately.

The elder Yeo's older son-in-law told Shin Min, "What he did was too violent, the way he pulled my father-in-law and threw him onto the ground."

"If he felt that what my father-in-law did was not right, he could have reasoned with him, or called the police. He shouldn't have gotten physical and threw him onto the ground," the older son-in-law continued.

Police report lodged

The 73-year-old has self-treated the injuries from the fall with ointment and painkillers.

"I don't like going to the hospital, so I'll monitor for now," the elder Yeo told Shin Min.

The elder Yeo's family shared with Mothership that one of the coffee shop patrons present during the altercation returned to share his contact details and offered to be an eyewitness.

The family has since made a police report.

Responding to Mothership's queries, the police confirmed that a report has been lodged and that investigations are ongoing.

A Singapore Police Force (SPF) spokesperson said that a 40-year-old man has been identified in relation to the incident.

"Members of the public are advised not to speculate on the incident or its circumstances, and to allow the Police to conduct investigations and establish the facts of the case," the SPF spokesperson said.

Elder Yeo a known personality at coffee shop

The elder Yeo has been selling wanton noodles at the Roxy Square coffee shop for over 40 years, and is known for loudly calling out order numbers.

His younger son told Shin Min that the elder Yeo is known to regulars and has a reputation for being friendly and easy-going.

"He is too nice, that's why he keeps saying he doesn't want to pursue this further," the younger Yeo said.

The elder Yeo developed a limp after getting into an accident over 20 years ago, and uses the coffee shop tables as support to get around. He also has braces inside his hips.

The 73-year-old's elder son-in-law said that he rushed home after learning about what happened.

He also urged the elder Yeo to visit a doctor as he was worried that the braces might have shifted out of place after the fall.

The incident has since garnered plenty of reactions online, including from personalities and celebrities, such as actor Romeo Tan.

"Ah Boys to Men" actor Noah Yap has also personally visited the elder Yeo, having known the stall owner for some years.

"Violence is never the answer," Yap wrote in an Instagram post.

Local actress Lina Ng also paid the elder Yeo a visit following the incident.