Man praised for helping police subdue drunk at Woodlands coffee shop

A coffee shop patron was applauded after he helped the police subdue a drunk man on Saturday evening.

A video of the incident showed four officers trying to subdue the struggling drunk at Block 892C Woodlands Drive 50 when the patron stepped in and brought the man to the ground.

Other patrons could be heard in the video applauding the unknown man for his actions.

Police said a 35-year-old was arrested at about 10pm for causing a public nuisance.

Chinese evening newspaper Shin Min Daily News reported that the suspect had been drinking at the coffee shop for close to five hours that evening.

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A witness, a 44-year-old driver who wanted to be known only as Mr Wu, told Shin Min that at about 9pm, the man stood up and proposed a toast to the other patrons at the coffee shop but was ignored.

He said the man then became frustrated, smashed glass mugs and bottles and kicked the chairs around him. The police were called in by coffee shop staff members and tried to get the man to calm down.

But Mr Wu said the man continued to walk around as officers followed him.

"The police told him to stay still, but he refused to listen and kept walking away from them saying he wanted to go to the toilet," he said.

The video showed the man later being brought to the ground by officers and the unknown patron, and an officer giving the patron two pats on the back for his help.

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The 2½-minute clip was uploaded to Facebook on Tuesday and has been shared about 600 times.

Police investigations are ongoing. 

This article was first published in The New Paper. Permission required for reproduction.