Employee of durian stall in Jurong rains blows on rival over finger-pointing incident

A dispute between two employees of rival durian stalls in Jurong West turned physical after both men met up to "set things straight".

The altercation occurred near Block 965 Jurong West Street 93 at around 10pm on Jan 23, reported 8world.

In clips of the fight uploaded to Facebook page Complaint Singapore on Thursday, a man dressed in blue is seen running after and repeatedly pummelling another man dressed in white, who falls to the ground. 

He continues raining blows on the man in white, who struggles to get up. 

According to the Chinese news outlet, the man in blue is an employee of Singapore Durian Boy while the man in white is an employee of Top Durian Station.

A quick check by AsiaOne shows that both durian stalls are located a block away from each other.

Both quarrelled that morning

Chen, who works at Top Durian Station, told 8world that both men involved in the fight dislike each other and would often lock horns over trivial matters.

On the morning of the incident, they were quarrelling again again, said Chen, who added that he did not know what they were arguing about.

During the squabble, Chen's co-worker allegedly pointed at the man in blue, which upset him. 

When the owners of both durian stalls were discussing the matter later that night, their conversation reportedly turned sour, and the police were called in to mediate.

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The stall owners subsequently agreed to let the matter rest, but the man in blue told Chen's co-worker to meet at the back lane to "set things straight", reported 8world.

"My colleague got beaten up, and he even fell into a drain while trying to dodge the punches," said Chen.

"His face is covered in bruises, and he was bleeding because of the abrasions on his arms and legs. His head is also hurting. The doctor told him to rest for two weeks." 

Chen added that his colleague is a straightforward person and would not resort to violence. 

As he is still recovering from his injuries and is unable to work, Chen said his colleague was worried about not being able to send money to his parents back home. 

According to Chen, another employee at the Yishun branch of Top Durian Station was also assaulted by a staff from Singapore Durian Boy in May last year. 

Chen told 8world that Top Durian Station has been in business for more than 30 years, and the staff get along with the other stallholders in the area. 

It was only when the other party opened their stall in 2022 that disputes began, said Chen.

"We can't move away as our regular customers are here," he explained. "We feel helpless and hope the police can investigate this matter and seek justice for our staff."

Bad relationship possibly due to job hopping 

When interviewed, the owner of Singapore Durian Boy told 8world he was unable to disclose much as police investigations are ongoing.

Regarding the animosity between the two men, he believes that it may have arisen after his employee — the man in blue — left Top Durian Station to work for him.

"I cannot say that my employee is entirely right, nor can I say that the other party is faultless. Those who make mistakes will never admit they are wrong," said the stall owner.

"I believe there is no need to blow up the matter as it can be resolved easily."

He added that both parties should take responsibility over the fighting incident. 

In response to AsiaOne's queries, the police said they received a call for assistance at 965 Jurong West Street 93 at 10.25pm on Jan 23. A 32-year-old man is assisting with investigations for voluntarily causing hurt, and investigations are ongoing.

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lim.kewei@asiaone.com