Man, 61, gets into fight with staff at Bedok North coffee shop, shoves police officers

A 61-year-old man got into a fight with a coffee shop's workers and stall owners at Bedok North.

When the police arrived, the man also shoved the officers before he was eventually handcuffed and taken away.

According to Shin Min Daily News, the man was believed to have drunk about two to three bottles of beer before he got into an argument with a female employee at the coffee shop.

The incident took place around 8pm on Sep. 4 at Block 204 Bedok North Street 1.

Physical fight

A diner, named Liu (transliteration), told the Chinese news outlet that after the argument, the man became violent and fought with the female staff.

Liu said that the two fought for a while, then stopped. Half an hour later, the stall owner arrived and asked the man what had happened.

The man apparently said a few words, but when the woman interrupted, the man became agitated and even attacked the stall owner.

"My friend saw that the owner's glasses were knocked off his face. Two employees who stepped forward to break up the fight were also assaulted," she added.

"The police arrived quickly, but to our surprise, the man even shoved the police officers."

Another witness, Chen (transliteration), shared with Shin Min Daily News that the man attacked the female staff before getting into a physical fight with two other staff.

During the fight, the man also bumped into a table where customers were eating, knocking over several bowls and plates.

Chen shared that this was the first time he saw someone assault the staff.

"One female employee had a cut at the corner of her mouth and was bleeding, while another employee said she could not lift her arm," he told Shin Min Daily News.

Disarray

When a reporter arrived at the scene, the man was undergoing a breathalyser test before he was handcuffed and taken away by the police.

The coffee shop was also in disarray, with spoons, plates and food scattered underneath a table.

Several police officers were also questioning people at the scene.

One male staff member, assaulted by the man, was being examined by medical personnel, and the two other injured female staff members were examined before they were taken to hospital.

In response to Mothership's queries, the Singapore Civil Defence Force said they received a call for assistance at around 8:05pm.

SCDF conveyed two persons to Changi General Hospital while two others were assessed for minor injuries and both declined to be sent to the hospital.

Laksa stall owner helps

Shin Min Daily News reported that the laksa stall owner at the coffee shop stepped in to help police subdue the man.

Speaking to the Chinese news outlet, the laksa stall owner said he only noticed what was happening when he heard a female employee scream.

He shared that when the police arrived, the man refused to cooperate with the officers, resisting arrest and assaulting the officers.

The laksa stall owner added that the man pushed a police officer and became increasingly aggressive, so a few people rushed forward to help.

"I grabbed him from behind and pinned him to the ground. He continued struggling throughout," he said.

A regular

Stall owners at the coffee shop told Shin Min Daily News that the man was a regular customer and had never caused any trouble before.

An employee at the Indian food stall said the man often came to the coffee shop to eat there.

However, the man normally had a good temperament and had never caused trouble before.

Another stall owner added that the man was a nice person, Shin Min Daily News wrote.

"We don't know whether he drank too much or was under a lot of stress. His behaviour suddenly became unusual."

Arrested for using criminal force

In response to Mothership's queries, the Singapore Police Force said it received a call for assistance around 7:45pm.

When they arrived, officers found several men engaged in a scuffle and intervened to break it up.

In doing so, a 61-year-old man pushed two officers and knocked the spectacles off one of them.

He subsequently also uttered vulgarities at another officer.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the 61-year-old man had a minor altercation with a 32-year-old man and two women, aged 29 and 25, and assaulted them. Two other members of the public intervened and tried to stop him.

The man was subsequently arrested for using criminal force to deter a public servant from discharging 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.

Police investigations are ongoing.