57-Year-Old Hawker Brandishes Knife In Yishun Kopitiam Altercation, Gets Arrested By Police

Man Wields Knife During Argument At Yishun Kopitiam On 8 Jan

An argument at a kopitiam or coffee shop at Yishun Ring Road took a dangerous turn when a man armed himself with a knife.

The 57-year-old hawker did so in an attempt to attack a 61-year-old man at the toilet but was stopped by other employees before he could use the weapon.

His wife, who mans a stall with him, suspected that her husband was drunk, as he usually gets rowdy after drinking.

Police arrested the suspect for attempting to voluntarily cause hurt with a dangerous weapon.

Man arrested after grabbing a knife in argument

Shin Min Daily News reported that an argument broke out at a kopitiam at Block 807 Yishun Ring Road at 8.30pm yesterday (8 Jan).

Source: Shin Min Daily News on Facebook

A witness said she heard loud shouting outside her shop, but was too afraid to investigate.

“The altercation lasted for 15 minutes, with a man shouting throughout, but I wasn’t able to make out what was being said. Not long after, police officers arrived,” she told the Chinese daily.

The police stated that the 57-year-old suspect was arguing with a 61-year-old man before he proceeded to grab a knife.

No one required an ambulance after the altercation, according to The Straits Times.

Regardless, police officers arrested the suspect for attempting to voluntarily cause hurt by using a dangerous weapon.

Suspect used a knife in Yishun kopitiam altercation

According to 8world News, after the suspect grabbed a knife, he followed the 61-year-old man into the kopitiam toilet.

When the man noticed that he had been followed, he ran out of the toilet but fell onto the ground.

The assailant then brandished the knife and pointed it at the man, at which point other stall employees rushed to stop him.

Source: 8world News on Facebook

Despite the incident, the Yishun coffee shop resumed operations today (9 Jan).

A regular who lives nearby even waved off the idea of feeling scared due to the incident, telling 8world News: “What is there to be afraid of? It doesn’t matter.”

Wife says suspect loses self-control when drunk

The suspect’s wife, Ms Liang, revealed that they ran a mee siam stall together there. Speaking to Shin Min Daily News, she shared her suspicion that her husband was drunk at the time of the incident.

Ms Liang recounted her husband calling her at 9pm that night, telling her to open the stall by herself the next day as the cops were searching for him.

“This kind of situation where he gets drunk and rowdy isn’t uncommon, so I’ve become accustomed to it,” she explained.

Ms Liang added that her husband was normal and friendly when sober, but once drunk, he loses all self-control. This has resulted in several previous arrests by the police.

Source: Shin Min Daily News

She and other loved ones have tried many times to get him to stop drinking alcohol, all to no avail.

“Every time he gets in trouble, I have to open and run the stall alone. It’s difficult work, so I really hope he can quit drinking.”

Also read: Workers At Yishun Fruit Stalls Get Into Fight, Police Arrest 37-Year-Old Man

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Featured image adapted from 8world News on Facebook and Shin Min Daily News.