A man caught in a lift-related altercation at VivoCity has spoken up, claiming his reaction stemmed from a dispute over his brother, a wheelchair user, being blocked from exiting the lift.
Source: @sureshvanaz on TikTok
The confrontation first drew public attention after a now-deleted video of the incident was shared on the Complaint Singapore Facebook group and TikTok, gaining traction across both platforms.
In the 29-second clip still available on Imgur, Suresh Vanaz, who was carrying a large backpack, was seen shouting while being restrained by several men.
His brother, cared for by a woman, appeared in the foreground.
Source: Imgur
Amid the scuffle, Mr Suresh fell to the floor, taking one of the men down with him.
Source: Imgur
After getting back on his feet, he pressed the lift button while a woman in a multi-coloured top intervened and told him to “cool down”.
He then threw a bag at one of the men who restrained him earlier, prompting the woman to say: “This is my bag!”
The situation de-escalated when they disengaged and Mr Suresh pushed the lift button again. A man in a white T-shirt was seen trying to calm him down.
In a close to six-minute TikTok video on Monday (2 Dec), Mr Suresh explained that the conflict began when he attempted to wheel his brother out of the lift.
He alleged that someone blocked them and scolded him, saying: “Hey, bro, you cannot see ah?”
Mr Suresh sarcastically responded that he didn’t have eyes at the back of his head, stating: “God has given me only two eyes.”
He also stressed that those outside the lift should have given way.
Source: @sureshvanaz on TikTok
Addressing the man, he told him to “be mindful” that he had a physically challenged brother and was trying to pull him out of the lift.
Instead, what the man did was “block, block, block”, he said.
He also asked netizens what they would do when somebody is coming out of the lift, answering his own question: “Give way, right?”
According to Mr Suresh, the man involved challenged him to “settle” the matter.
When he professed to be up for it and even gave him his name, the man ran away, he said.
He claimed the man’s family then became involved, with the man’s wife allegedly making unhelpful remarks.
Mr Suresh admitted that he got angry when he was challenged, telling the man:
You have a family who can walk, take the escalator!
He also had a word for the other people who were trying to “pull (him) down”:
Bro, when there is a wrong when somebody is going to be like against with the wheelchair guy or with me, you guys, we have to be mindful to stop them, not me.
As for the woman in the colourful shirt, Mr Suresh said she was trying to stop him “for some reason”, adding:
She really didn’t know what’s going on, but she was trying to be nice.
Mr Suresh also called out a woman who posted the video on Facebook, accusing her of editing it to omit key details and sensationalise the incident.
He asked where the “other version” was, which showed the family of the man who blocked him and his brother, and urged her to “tell the whole story”, claiming she was seeking attention on social media.
Mr Suresh then cautioned Singaporeans to be mindful when commenting on such incidents on social media, adding:
Caregivers are going through stress in this Singapore situation here.
In a second TikTok video posted on Monday night, lasting more than seven minutes, Mr Suresh revealed that he had filed two police reports.
Source: @sureshvanaz on TikTok
The first one was about the lift fight, where he would “let the authorities take action”.
VivoCity’s management didn’t let him see CCTV footage of the incident due to “certain protocols”, which he said he respected.
The second police report was against the woman who posted the video, Mr Suresh said.
He alleged that her responses to his inquiries were arrogant, prompting him to file a police report against her.
Source: @sureshvanaz on TikTok
Mr Suresh also claimed that the woman is a domestic helper and stated his intention to report her to the authorities for allegedly working “extra jobs”, which is prohibited under Ministry of Manpower regulations for foreign domestic workers in Singapore.
Following their conversation, she deleted the videos, blocked him, and deleted her “multiple accounts”, he said.
He intends to pursue legal action, saying netizens helped him uncover her identity and background.
Mr Suresh also apologised to the woman in the multicoloured shirt seen trying to mediate during the altercation.
He clarified that throwing her bag was accidental and occurred amid the chaos.
He acknowledged that she was trying to calm matters down but advised her to “be mindful” as others would “take advantage” by making both of them look bad — referring to the allegedly edited video.
Mr Suresh concluded by thanking netizens who had sent supportive messages to him and his brother.
However, he requested for privacy and asked that they refrain from posting anything about his brother, who remains “affected” and “upset” by the incident.
Many videos in Mr Suresh’s TikTok account depict him looking after his brother, revealing the obvious love the siblings have for each other.
Also read: Fight ‘suddenly’ breaks out between 2 men on MRT train, 1 suffers head wound
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Featured image adapted from Imgur and @sureshvanaz on TikTok.
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