Two men taken to hospital, one arrested after fight at Geylang coffee shop

SINGAPORE - Two men were taken to hospital after a fight broke out at a coffee shop in Lorong 25A Geylang on Wednesday (April 3).

The police were alerted to the fight at 8.50pm on Wednesday.

The two men, aged 51 and 53, were conscious when they were taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

The 51-year-old man was subsequently arrested for voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapon.

A video of the incident, which was sent to citizen journalism site Stomp, shows three men pinning down the 51-year-old, who is bald, on a table in the coffee shop.

Blood is seen dripping from a long gash on the face of one of the three men.

The Straits Times understands that the 51-year-old had a cut on his head while the 53-year-old man suffered a laceration from his right ear to his right cheek.

Chinese-language newspaper Shin Min Daily News reported that the fight broke out after the men argued over secondhand smoke. They had both been sitting in the smoking zone at the coffee shop.

The bald man allegedly used a saw to slash the 53-year-old, who is believed to have retaliated by hitting him on the head with a beer mug, Shin Min reported.

An eyewitness told Shin Min that the 53-year-old man was badly injured and was covered in blood.

The newspaper reported that the 53-year-old is a regular patron at the coffee shop. The shop's owner, Mr Liang, told Shin Min that the man had never been in trouble before with other customers.

The police are investigating the incident.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.