17-Year-Old Throws Tray At Sengkang Coffee Shop Worker, Police Alerted To Commotion

17-Year-Old Throws Tray At Stallholder, Sparks Commotion In Sengkang Coffee Shop

UPDATE (3.45pm): According to STOMP, the incident occurred at Block 455 Sengkang West Avenue at around 5.50pm. A 17-year-old teenager has been taken to the hospital, while a 51-year-old man is assisting with police investigations.

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When we are hungry, we may often feel grumpy or impatient while waiting for our food to be served to us or waiting in line.

A recent scuffle is believed to have erupted at a Sengkang East coffee shop, where a man got into an argument with a noodle stallholder and threw a tray at him.

The stallholder retaliated and the man’s family even jumped into the fray later.

Footage of the commotion has gone viral on social media, with many netizens decrying the family’s upbringing for causing a scene.

Man throws tray at stallholder after argument

In what is presumably CCTV footage, a video posted on the Facebook page of Singapore Incidents shows the man, clad in a black T-shirt, waiting in line. The time stamp on the video is Sunday (24 Apr), 5.48pm.

All seems fine, with the stallholder serving a man in white first. The man in black was second in line.

However, the footage shows that they start arguing some time later.

The stallholder is visibly agitated and gestures at the customer in black. There is no sound in the video so it is not clear what they are saying or how the argument started.

Source: Singapore Incidents on Facebook

The stallholder continues cooking through the argument, but the man in black starts pointing at him.

Source: Singapore Incidents on Facebook

The man then throws a tray at the stallholder, which hits him in the front, on the left.

Source: Singapore Incidents on Facebook

Almost immediately, the stallholder grabs a soup ladle, rushes out from behind the stall, and charges at the customer.

Source: Singapore Incidents on Facebook

At this point, the action is a bit out of the camera’s view, but the stallholder looks as if he hit the man who threw the tray a few times with the ladle. The customer tries to block the stall holder’s blows with his arms.

Another man then rushes to the scene of the commotion, presumably the father of the man who had thrown the tray, before the video ends.

Man’s family rally around him & argues with stallholder

This is not the end, however. The man’s family apparently confronted the stallholder after the scuffle.

Source: Singapore Incidents on Facebook

A woman, presumably the man’s mother, is heard yelling at the stallholder. The earlier man who had rushed to the scene also raises his voice.

The woman is then seen trying to call someone on her phone.

Netizens decry customer’s poor upbringing 

Many netizens expressed their displeasure at the customer’s behaviour, as well as that of his parents.

Source: Facebook

Some said being a stallholder was hard work — it is a job that deserved more empathy.

Source: Facebook

The original poster agreed and said the video had important lessons to impart to children and parents.

Source: Facebook

Some empathy & compassion go a long way 

Our tempers get frayed from time to time, especially in Singapore’s sweltering weather.

But if everyone can take a deep breath and think before they act, a tense situation can be defused more easily.

It is natural for family members to stand by one another, but it is important to hear both sides of the story first.