Over the weekend, a video clip of a fight in Geylang went viral — a horrible scene depicting the typical violence that often erupts in the seedy area. In it, a victim is shoved to the ground by a group of rowdy men before getting stepped on, punched, and kicked in the head even as he lay helpless on the asphalt.
Two women were also attacked in the fracas by a burly 22-year-old hooligan, who has since been arrested by the cops for violently resisting arrest last Thursday morning.
Now, the man who got knocked out and severely beaten up has clarified to Shin Min Daily News about the events that led to the brutish incident. Chen, a private-hire vehicle driver, told the Chinese daily that he was having supper with his friends at the eatery at Geylang Lorong 19, while another group of five to six men in their 20s sat at a table opposite theirs.
According to Chen, one of the men hid a friend’s wallet as a prank. When his wallet was found, the man was said to have thrown it at Chen’s table for some reason.
“I looked at him, and he started hurling vulgarities at me,” he told Shin Min, adding that the man started to taunt him in Hokkien and demand that they settle the matter on the streets.
Chen then tried to leave, but three men from the rowdy group followed him. That was where the now-viral video clip began.
Chen admitted that he kicked one of the men in self-defense before he got punched in his left cheek. “I collapsed instantly. The three of them continued to stomp on my waist and kick my head, causing me to bleed,” he said, as quoted by Shin Min. After the fight, Chen’s friends arrived and sent him to Singapore General Hospital for treatment. The brawl left him with a 10cm-long wound on his scalp.
Shin Min reporters also managed to track down and pay a visit to the house of the singlet-wearing brute who attacked Chen’s female companion. A woman who identified herself as a close friend of the suspect noted that he has remained to himself since the incident.
Chrispd says
self defense? The one who kicked first was the one who initiated the fight.