Too little meat in 'cai fan'? Angry customer leaves Bedok hawker bleeding after slamming his head against wall

Allegedly upset over the portion of meat served at an economy rice stall, one customer subsequently assaulted the stall owner from behind while in the toilet, slamming his head against the wall and punching him in the face.

The incident happened at the Bedok Interchange Hawker Centre on Sunday (May 28) at around 7pm, reported Shin Min Daily News.

The stall owner, surnamed Cai, told Shin Min reporters later that evening that the patrons were a couple who ordered curry chicken, among other dishes, at his stall.

However, they were unhappy over the portion that was served and went to confront Cai. Both parties got into an argument.

"[The male patron] asked if I thought he couldn't afford it," said Cai.

The 55-year-old hawker claimed that he had told them nicely that he could give them more meat, but it would come at an extra charge. They ordered the extra meat and left thereafter, he said.

However, Cai shared that when he was in the toilet some time later, he felt someone grab his head from behind and he was bashed against the wall, twice.

Cai turned around only to receive another blow to his right cheek. He then saw the male customer he had served earlier leaving the toilet.

"If it's just about wanting more chicken, he could have said so nicely, why hit someone till they bleed?" Cai asked.

According to the Chinese evening daily, Cai was still bleeding from his gums during the interview and he had to use pieces of tissue paper to try and stem the flow.

The hawker said he called the police after the incident but decided not to seek medical attention.

"It's a small injury so I didn't go to the hospital. I still have to take care of my stall, I really can't leave," said Cai.

He added that upon returning to the stall, he'd asked his assistant to stop the couple from leaving.

The 60-year-old stall assistant, surnamed Li, shared: "When [the stall owner] came back, his mouth was all bloodied and he asked me to watch that the man's wife doesn't leave. When the man returned, I immediately pinned him to the ground."

A video that was posted on social media showed a man in a white t-shirt restraining a white-haired man on the floor of the hawker centre, as curious onlookers watched.

[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/Cs1lYm6gEwa/?hl=en[/embed]

Several policemen were later seen arriving at the scene, upon which the man in the white top released his grip.

Cai added that when the police arrived, the patron continued to sit on the floor and complained that his leg hurt.

According to the Chinese evening daily, the police confirmed that they received a report on the incident, adding that a 47-year-old man is assisting with police investigations.

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candicecai@asiaone.com