With the return of Singapore’s nightlife scene, many are anxious to visit their favourite clubs and bars. But their haste to make up for lost time may result in some unruly behaviour.
On Saturday (7 May), a group of customers started a fight after they were told to rejoin the queue at Cherry Discotheque nightclub.
The violent brawl, involving queue poles, left one of the club’s managers injured. As a result of the incident, he needed stitches behind his ear.
On Wednesday (11 May), Channel News Asia (CNA) reported that the group of customers had exited the club at around 1.30 am on 7 May to smoke.
They were told to rejoin the queue to re-enter the club after they returned as it had reached maximum capacity.
The group then started raising their voices at Cherry Discotheque’s staff 10 minutes after they had rejoined the queue.
They claimed that they deserved priority since they had booked a premium table. The staff reportedly replied that all guests were “treated equally” and asked them to wait in line until there was sufficient space.
At this point, the group started verbally assaulting the staff and demanded to see the managers.
A staff member subsequently told the group that the manager had banned them from entering due to their behaviour towards the club’s employees.
They also told the person who had reserved the table that he had to claim his group’s belongings, and the club refunded him for their unconsumed drinks.
Upset after hearing the club’s decision, the group started acting violently, reported TODAY.
They allegedly attacked the staff with queue poles and threw punches at some of the employees. The staff quickly retreated, but the group continued attacking them. Some of the staff, who were bouncers, quickly closed the club’s doors to prevent other patrons from getting injured.
CNA said that Facebook user Hebe Duanphen Lim captured the scene, showing the group throwing queue poles toward the staff.
Source: Hebe Duanphen Lim on Facebook
Unfortunately, a manager was hit in the head with a queue pole.
The manager in question reportedly walked away to call the police but another member of the group returned and further assaulted him. Two others joined in and kicked his head.
One female patron tried to stop the attack by protecting the manager’s head but to no avail.
The club shared that he was later taken to the hospital and needed stitches behind his ear. A club employee managed to call the police.
Before the police arrived, the group started attacking the employees again. A club manager threw a queue pole in defence but the group continued to attack them with queue poles, said TODAY.
The group reportedly left the scene before the police arrived. Police later arrested five men between the ages of 20 and 59 for rioting. Two others, who are 21 and 30 years old, were sent to the hospital. Police investigations are ongoing.
The club has also told news outlets, “Our goal at Cherry Discotheque is to provide a safe and fun environment for people to enjoy good music and drinks responsibly. The well-being of our patrons and staff is most important to us.”
No matter the circumstances, it’s never right to resort to violence and inflict harm on others. In this case, the group should have controlled their emotions and stopped themselves from acting recklessly, not just once, but multiple times.
We hope the police investigation will provide justice to those affected in this unfortunate brawl.
More importantly, we do hope that all the patrons and staff will recover well from their injuries.
MS News wishes a smooth recovery for the manager of the club, as well as the other employees.
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted from Hebe Duanphen Lim on Facebook.
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