Brawl breaks out at Jurong coffee shop
Matthaeus Choo
The New Paper
Friday, Oct 04, 2013
The coffee shop helper thought she was being helpful by pointing out where the toilet was to a patron.
But the patron could not find the toilet and he threatened her instead.
When the coffee shop's regulars came to her defence, all hell broke loose as a brawl erupted with chairs and beer bottles being thrown.
A video of the fight was posted on citizen journalism website Stomp.
The fight happened late last Saturday night at the coffee shop at Block 546, Jurong West Street 42.
It all started when a patron, who was drinking with two of his friends, asked coffee shop helper Qiu Chang Jin, where the toilet was.
Ms Qiu, 40, told The New Paper: "I told him where it was but he came back shortly, telling me he could not find it.
Terrified
"I was terrified when he started to scold me for lying and even threatened to beat me up. I was thinking, I came here from China to Singapore to work, too, so what did I do wrong?"
"The regulars there were very concerned over what happened and assured me they will protect me if anything bad happens," said Ms Qiu, 40, a Chinese national who has been working as a coffee shop helper for over a year.
The assurances given by the regulars apparently angered the bully, who was in a green shirt.
A resident, who wanted to be known only as Mr Ricky, said he was caught in the middle of the fight.
He told The New Paper: "After we talked to Chang Jin, the man took out his phone and called someone telling him there were people looking for trouble.
"Soon afterwards his two companions stood up and started hurling insults as they came towards us.
"Some of the regulars stood up in defence, and got grabbed and punched by (them). They also started throwing chairs at everyone."
Mr Ricky, 60, claimed he did not take part in the fight but was hit by one of the plastic chairs and sustained a bruise on his left leg.
"I was enraged. How can they threaten to hurt a woman?" he said.
As the brawl progressed, another two men dashed in from a nearby HDB block.
One of them grabbed beer bottles from the table Mr Oh Tech Cheng was at and charged towards those in the fight.
Mr Oh, 64, told The New Paper: "I was sitting quite a distance from the fight when a man came from behind and took my half-finished beer bottles.
It happened so fast and I'm thankful I wasn't hurt that night."
Smashed bottles
Another regular, known only as Sata, was not as lucky. He suffered minor cuts on his left ear and cheek after beer bottles were smashed on his head.
Mr Ricky claimed: "At one point, three of them were beating Sata with chairs and beer bottles.
"He has been living in the area since he was born and he only wanted to make sure the place remains peaceful."
Sata and another resident received outpatient treatment and were subsequently discharged.
Ms Qiu added that she had never had any trouble with customers prior to this fight.
The group of five men fled the scene after learning that someone had called the police.
Police said they received a call at 12.30am and two men were arrested in relation to the case.
Three others were arrested after receiving outpatient treatment.
Police investigations are ongoing.
Get The New Paper for more stories.
Matthaeus Choo
The New Paper
Friday, Oct 04, 2013
The coffee shop helper thought she was being helpful by pointing out where the toilet was to a patron.
But the patron could not find the toilet and he threatened her instead.
When the coffee shop's regulars came to her defence, all hell broke loose as a brawl erupted with chairs and beer bottles being thrown.
A video of the fight was posted on citizen journalism website Stomp.
The fight happened late last Saturday night at the coffee shop at Block 546, Jurong West Street 42.
It all started when a patron, who was drinking with two of his friends, asked coffee shop helper Qiu Chang Jin, where the toilet was.
Ms Qiu, 40, told The New Paper: "I told him where it was but he came back shortly, telling me he could not find it.
Terrified
"I was terrified when he started to scold me for lying and even threatened to beat me up. I was thinking, I came here from China to Singapore to work, too, so what did I do wrong?"
"The regulars there were very concerned over what happened and assured me they will protect me if anything bad happens," said Ms Qiu, 40, a Chinese national who has been working as a coffee shop helper for over a year.
The assurances given by the regulars apparently angered the bully, who was in a green shirt.
A resident, who wanted to be known only as Mr Ricky, said he was caught in the middle of the fight.
He told The New Paper: "After we talked to Chang Jin, the man took out his phone and called someone telling him there were people looking for trouble.
"Soon afterwards his two companions stood up and started hurling insults as they came towards us.
"Some of the regulars stood up in defence, and got grabbed and punched by (them). They also started throwing chairs at everyone."
Mr Ricky, 60, claimed he did not take part in the fight but was hit by one of the plastic chairs and sustained a bruise on his left leg.
"I was enraged. How can they threaten to hurt a woman?" he said.
As the brawl progressed, another two men dashed in from a nearby HDB block.
One of them grabbed beer bottles from the table Mr Oh Tech Cheng was at and charged towards those in the fight.
Mr Oh, 64, told The New Paper: "I was sitting quite a distance from the fight when a man came from behind and took my half-finished beer bottles.
It happened so fast and I'm thankful I wasn't hurt that night."
Smashed bottles
Another regular, known only as Sata, was not as lucky. He suffered minor cuts on his left ear and cheek after beer bottles were smashed on his head.
Mr Ricky claimed: "At one point, three of them were beating Sata with chairs and beer bottles.
"He has been living in the area since he was born and he only wanted to make sure the place remains peaceful."
Sata and another resident received outpatient treatment and were subsequently discharged.
Ms Qiu added that she had never had any trouble with customers prior to this fight.
The group of five men fled the scene after learning that someone had called the police.
Police said they received a call at 12.30am and two men were arrested in relation to the case.
Three others were arrested after receiving outpatient treatment.
Police investigations are ongoing.
Get The New Paper for more stories.
