Men do nothing after fight breaks out
By Pearly Tan
The New Paper
Friday, Sep 16, 2011
The four men at a coffee shop sensed something was wrong with the five men at the table next to theirs, so one of them called the police.
Just minutes later, a fight broke out at the next table after two of the five men pulled out knives.
The police arrived just five minutes into the fight and the assailants fled, leaving behind an injured victim.
Miss Ler Ling Hong, 28, who works in the coffee shop, said the four men who called the police continued eating their dim sum calmly during the fight.
The men are in their 40s and are regular customers.
The fight, which involved a chopper, a parang and a watermelon knife, took place at a coffee shop at Block 5, Changi Village, on Sunday night.
Miss Ler said in Mandarin: "Three men arrived at first, but one then left and returned with another two men.
"The five of them sat at one of the outermost tables in the corner."
They ordered a bottle of beer and two cups of coffee, but none of it was touched.
Miss Ler said: "It happened so fast. They sat down for only a little while before I heard a tattooed man shout, 'one hundred' in Hokkien, and everything became chaotic."
Knives wrapped in newspaper
She said she saw two men whip out knives wrapped in newspaper from the back of their trousers to attack the tattooed man.
Miss Ler said that she and other stall helpers ran inside the coffee shop. But the four men at the other table remained there.
She said: "When the two men attacked the victim with their knives, he grabbed a chair to block the blows." After the fight began, she saw at least one man, who was armed with a knife, run from across the road to join in. Miss Ler was not sure if other men at the table were also attacked.
When the police arrived, Miss Ler had a close shave when one of the fleeing assailants, who was holding a knife, ran past her just as she was about to step out of the coffee shop.
The victim later took off his dark-coloured shirt to show the police officers a wound on his left shoulder.
Miss Ler said: "His back was covered in tattoos and blood. His wound was more than 10cm long and was frightening to look at."
The police found a knife on the ground, but the injured man was heard exclaiming loudly that it was not the one that had been used to hurt him.
The police confirmed that a man, 41, was found with cuts on his left shoulder at Changi Village road.
Another man, 47, was found with hand and finger injuries and a stab wound on his back at Loyang Avenue. Both men were sent to Changi General Hospital for treatment.
Miss Ler said that the police took away footage from a security camera that records the exterior seating area.
The police have classified the case as voluntarily causing grievous hurt and that operations are ongoing to apprehend the suspects involved.
[email protected]
By Pearly Tan
The New Paper
Friday, Sep 16, 2011
The four men at a coffee shop sensed something was wrong with the five men at the table next to theirs, so one of them called the police.
Just minutes later, a fight broke out at the next table after two of the five men pulled out knives.
The police arrived just five minutes into the fight and the assailants fled, leaving behind an injured victim.
Miss Ler Ling Hong, 28, who works in the coffee shop, said the four men who called the police continued eating their dim sum calmly during the fight.
The men are in their 40s and are regular customers.
The fight, which involved a chopper, a parang and a watermelon knife, took place at a coffee shop at Block 5, Changi Village, on Sunday night.
Miss Ler said in Mandarin: "Three men arrived at first, but one then left and returned with another two men.
"The five of them sat at one of the outermost tables in the corner."
They ordered a bottle of beer and two cups of coffee, but none of it was touched.
Miss Ler said: "It happened so fast. They sat down for only a little while before I heard a tattooed man shout, 'one hundred' in Hokkien, and everything became chaotic."
Knives wrapped in newspaper
She said she saw two men whip out knives wrapped in newspaper from the back of their trousers to attack the tattooed man.
Miss Ler said that she and other stall helpers ran inside the coffee shop. But the four men at the other table remained there.
She said: "When the two men attacked the victim with their knives, he grabbed a chair to block the blows." After the fight began, she saw at least one man, who was armed with a knife, run from across the road to join in. Miss Ler was not sure if other men at the table were also attacked.
When the police arrived, Miss Ler had a close shave when one of the fleeing assailants, who was holding a knife, ran past her just as she was about to step out of the coffee shop.
The victim later took off his dark-coloured shirt to show the police officers a wound on his left shoulder.
Miss Ler said: "His back was covered in tattoos and blood. His wound was more than 10cm long and was frightening to look at."
The police found a knife on the ground, but the injured man was heard exclaiming loudly that it was not the one that had been used to hurt him.
The police confirmed that a man, 41, was found with cuts on his left shoulder at Changi Village road.
Another man, 47, was found with hand and finger injuries and a stab wound on his back at Loyang Avenue. Both men were sent to Changi General Hospital for treatment.
Miss Ler said that the police took away footage from a security camera that records the exterior seating area.
The police have classified the case as voluntarily causing grievous hurt and that operations are ongoing to apprehend the suspects involved.
[email protected]
