Alleged Attacker Is Reportedly Fellow Stallholder, He’s Been Arrested
Warning: Some readers may find the photos in this article graphic. Discretion is advised.
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While Singapore is regarded as one of the safest countries in the world, violent assaults with deadly weapons have been happening fairly regularly recently.
While previous incidents have involved bladed weapons, the latest required a wood pole with a screw embedded in it.
This time, the victim was an unfortunate hawker at Tanglin Halt Food Centre who was allegedly hit in the head with the implement, reportedly by a fellow hawker.
It resulted in him needing 9 stitches in the head, among other injuries.
Attack allegedly occurred suddenly
The frightening incident occurred at about 7.15am at Tanglin Halt Food Centre, reported Lianhe Zaobao.
Couple Wang Kaixin, 51, and Wang Wei, 54, were busy at their fish soup stall, with Mr Wang cleaning vegetables in front.
The couple’s fish soup stall
Source
Suddenly, an uncle who also operated a fish soup stall in the food centre allegedly attacked him from behind.
The alleged attacker brandished a 3-foot-long wooden pole with a rusty screw embedded in it.
Hawker allegedly hit 3 times on head
Ms Wang told Zaobao that her boyfriend’s head started bleeding and she rushed out of the stall to stop the attack.
However, she couldn’t grab the wooden pole, and Mr Wang ended up getting beaten 3 times on the head, she said.
Not surprisingly, streams of blood flowed copiously from his head.
Alleged attacker ran away
Ms Wang finally managed to grab hold of the stick, but not without getting hit a few times herself, she told Channel NewsAsia (CNA).
Mr Wang, who’d briefly lost consciousness, then pushed his alleged attacker to the ground.
Having tried unsuccessfully to snatch the pole back, the uncle then ran away.
A hawkers interviewed by CNA said the alleged attacker crept up behind Mr Wang and attacked him.
When he ran away, nobody gave chase as they knew who he is – the stallholder of another fish soup stall in the same food centre.
Victim treated for head injuries, fractures
Mr Wang was sent to the National University Hospital (NUH), where we was treated for head injuries, he told Zaobao.
After a brain scan, doctors also found a crack in his skull.
Consequently, he had to have 9 stitches in his head and stay in hospital for 2 to 3 days for observation.
Besides his head, he also had fractures in both his hands.
Alleged attacker arrested
Late on Friday (8 Apr) night, the police said a 69-year-old man had been arrested, CNA reported.
Offenders convicted of voluntarily causing hurt by a dangerous weapon face a prison term of up to seven years, a fine, caning, or a combination of the above.
Investigations are ongoing.
Motive for alleged attack unknown
Mr Wang told Zaobao that he’s still clueless over why he was allegedly attacked.
However, Ms Wang told CNA that they’d been threatened before.
In 2020, her boyfriend made at least 3 police reports because a fellow stallholder had threatened him using vulgarities.
The person who scolded him was given a 12-month conditional warning in Jul 2020, following a report made in Mar.
Violence isn’t the answer
Whatever the grudge is between the 2 fish soup stallholders, violence is definitely not the answer.
Hopefully, both sides can settle their differences amicably.
First, however, the perpetrator of the horrific attack should get the punishment they deserve.
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Featured images adapted from Lianhe Zaobao and Shin Min Daily News on Facebook.
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