Elderly woman allegedly punched after being spat at by man at Ang Mo Kio hawker centre

“After buying my coffee, I wanted to retrieve my trolley,” she recounted. “A woman was sitting at the table with a baby stroller beside her, and a tattooed man was standing nearby.”

She politely asked him to let her pass, but he got angry and scolded her, saying: “Are you blind? Can’t you walk around?”

Man reportedly spat at elderly woman twice

Madam Yang said the man hurled obscene Hokkien curses at her and even spat in her face twice.

“At the time, people around witnessed everything. I even asked why he was being so rude and demanded an apology. Meanwhile, the woman was already pulling the man away, trying to leave.”

She said the man not only refused to apologise, but also kicked her, shoved her with his hands, and continued hurling abuse.

“I tried to block him with my hand, and the coffee accidentally spilled on him. He then punched my left cheek, causing me to fall to the ground.”

Bystanders intervened, police called

A beverage stall worker, Mr Chen (surname transliterated), 60, told Shin Min that Madam Yang, a regular at the hawker centre, had just bought takeaway coffee before the incident.

“We heard the commotion and when we came out to check, she had already fallen to the ground.”

Another stall owner said he saw the man and the elderly woman pushing and shoving. The man was covered in coffee, and he was unsure what had sparked the argument.

However, many bystanders later intervened, telling the man to stop before a woman pulled the man from the scene.

Madam Yang said diners quickly helped her up, offered tissues, and advised her to report the incident.

“I initially wanted to let it go, but others urged me to report it, and someone later helped call the police,” she said.

In response to MS News queries, the police said they received a call for assistance at Block 163 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4 on 11 Oct at about 9.30am.

A 75-year-old woman was conveyed conscious to the hospital and investigations are ongoing.

Elderly woman has heart condition

Madam Yang, who has a pre-existing heart condition, trembled and looked pale after the attack.

“I have a heart condition, and my blood pressure spiked back then. I had planned to go home on my own, but others saw I looked unwell and asked my daughter to come pick me up.”

An ambulance took her to the hospital, where doctors performed a facial X-ray and gave her painkillers.

Madam Yang, who is Taiwanese and visits Singapore to see her grandson, said the attack left her deeply shaken.

“I always thought locals were kind, but this shocked me. I hope the man apologises and pays my medical bills.”

Also read: Passenger kicks elderly woman on Taiwan subway after being hit by bag over priority seat