Two injured in saw attack in Geylang coffee shop
It allegedly started with argument over second-hand smoke
An alleged argument over second-hand cigarette smoke turned bloody and two men were left injured. The altercation, in a Geylang coffee shop on Wednesday, escalated into the use of a saw.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force responded to a call for medical assistance at 88 Lorong 25A Geylang at about 8.50pm, and police said yesterday that two men, aged 51 and 53, were taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital conscious.
The New Paper understands that the older man was wounded on his right cheek, while the younger man had cuts on his head.
The 51-year-old was subsequently arrested for voluntarily causing hurt by a dangerous weapon.
TNP also understands that the weapon, a hand saw, was found at the scene.
A video of the aftermath of the incident on citizen journalism website Stomp showed a bald man, believed to be the 51-year-old, being held down against a table by three other men.
The 53-year-old man, was bleeding from a long gash down the right side of his face and had a blood-stained towel over his shoulder.
Chinese-language newspaper Shin Min Daily News spoke to a friend of the 51-year-old, who said they were sitting at the coffee shop's smoking area with a female friend. The 53-year-old was sitting at the next table with friends and was smoking.
The friend, who wanted to be known only as Mr Chen, told Shin Min: "Cigarette smoke was blowing into our faces. We tried to tell them but they ignored us and continued to smoke."
SMOKING AREA
Mr Chen said that when his friend raised the matter a second time, the older man stood up and shouted, "This is the smoking area, why can't I smoke?"
In a rage, his friend left the coffee shop and returned 10 minutes later with a saw, which he used to attack the 53-year-old, Mr Chen said.
Closed circuit camera footage seen by Shin Min showed that the older man smashed a beer bottle on the younger man's head in retaliation before his friends snatched the saw away and pinned the bald man down until police arrived.
The coffee shop's owner, Mr Liang, told Shin Min that the victim was a regular and never had trouble with other patrons.
It is unclear where the bald man got the saw, but there is a hardware store next to the coffee shop.
. PHOTOS: SHIN MIN DAILY NEWS, STOMPWhen TNP visited the hardware store yesterday, a worker said they close at about 8.30pm. He could not say if the man had bought the saw there.
The 51-year-old will be charged today and if convicted, he may face a jail term of up to seven years, a fine, caning, or any combination of these punishments.
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