Whose knife is bigger? 3 knives brandished as cleaner chases stall holder in Boon Keng hawker centre

Size does matter, especially if it's the size of a knife being waved in your face.

On Monday (June 6) afternoon, the peace in a hawker centre at 17 Upper Boon Keng Road was disrupted by an argument between a cleaner and stall holder, leading to them brandishing knives at each other, Shin Min Daily News reported.

The cleaner, 63, had chased the stall holder, 59, around the hawker centre with a table knife, but was later seen with a large, 40cm knife wrapped in cardboard. The vendor also armed himself with a 17cm knife.

A student who witnessed the incident told the Chinese evening daily that the two had began their quarrel on a walkway outside of the hawker centre, shouting at one another in dialect.

They suddenly got physical, recounted the witness, and the stall holder shoved the cleaner, causing him to tumble to the ground.

The cleaner picked up a table knife from the floor and proceeded to stand back up and chase the vendor. 

It is believed that the vendor had picked up a knife to protect himself.

Moments later, the cleaner was seen leaving the hawker centre's premises and wandering around the area, as several people dissuaded him from using violence.

"Five minutes later, he returned with a long knife wrapped in blue cardboard," the student said.

Responding to queries by AsiaOne, the police said they were alerted at 1.55pm that day to a dispute between two men who had allegedly fought unarmed, then subsequently confronted each other with knives.

Both men were subsequently arrested for affray and possession of offensive weapons, and the three knives were seized as case exhibits.

"The 59-year-old man did not report any injuries while the 63-year-old man sustained bruises on his face and neck," the police said, adding that investigations are ongoing.

The duo did not have any existing grudges, but did have verbal arguments over trivial issues, Shin Min Daily News reported.

This is the latest in a string of recent incidents involving knifes.

In April, two men were charged in court following their alleged slashing at Boon Lay Drive that disrupted a wedding festival.

One victim of this slashing sustained 12 cuts on his head and limbs and had to undergo multiple operations, while the other had an 8cm gash on the side of his head.

In another violent incident at Clarke Quay in March, a man was left needing 20 stitches to his head after he was blindsided by an attack from behind with a sharp object.

READ ALSO: Man, 23, found bleeding with 20cm harpoon stuck in his back at Ming Arcade

khooyihang@asiaone.com