He bit off more than he can chew when he took on six people alone — Ip Man, he certainly isn't.
A fight broke out between a man and a cleaner inside a public toilet at Punggol Park, with the man subsequently assaulting passers-by who tried to intervene, reported 8world. The incident occurred on Wednesday (Oct 25) morning at about 8am.
The man, 40, had allegedly followed the cleaner into the toilet, preventing the latter from doing his work, an eyewitness surnamed Zhang told Shin Min Daily News.
Zhang, a gardener, shared that this was believed to have triggered an argument which turned physical.
Amid their confrontation, the cleaner reportedly pushed the man, resulting in the latter flaring up in anger and hitting the cleaner.
Zhang, 72, told Shin Min Daily News that the pair were seen exchanging blows on the walkway outside the toilet.
"A group of people who were exercising nearby heard the scuffle and rushed over to break up the fight, but they also ended up being dragged into it as well," Zhang said.
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"The man is tall and strong, and even when those people surrounded him, he still towered over them.
"He continued to swing punches wildly around him and spewed nonsense, I don't even know what he was talking about," Zhang added.
Another eyewitness who called Shin Min's hotline told the paper that at least six people — four of them women —were assaulted by the man.
Although the situation was chaotic with women screaming and running away after getting hit, passers-by managed to bring the man to the ground, subduing him, Zhang told Shin Min.
The members of public were also shouting loudly to attract police and medical staff to their location, said Zhang.
'I didn't want to see anything happen to the cleaner'
Among those who risked injury to help the cleaner was an 86-year-old man who sustained a head injury in the fracas.
The elderly man, surnamed Chen, shared with Shin Min that he started going to the park about three years ago.
Describing the cleaner as "helpful" and in his 70s, he prefaced: "We didn't know each other at first.
"Once, my bicycle broke down and he took the initiative to help me repair it. We would end up meeting each other often after that, and we'd always say hello to each other," said Chen.
Chen had cycled to the park on Wednesday morning when he saw the cleaner being punched and kicked. He tried to stop the attacker, but ended up getting embroiled in the brawl. His bicycle was also knocked over.
"Although I was scared, I didn't want to see anything happen to the cleaner," he explained. "I was hit on the head, but I'm fine now. I'll be better after taking a rest."
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"When I was at the scene I heard that the man was drunk, but I didn't smell any alcohol on him. Some people also said he might have been on drugs. I don't know why he went crazy," Zhang added.
Responding to queries by AsiaOne, the police said that they received a call for assistance along Hougang Avenue 10 at 8am on Wednesday.
"A 40-year-old man was arrested for public nuisance. A 71-year-old man was conveyed conscious to the hospital. A 48-year-old man and two women, aged 41 and 58, sustained minor injuries," a police spokesperson said.
Police investigations are ongoing.
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khooyihang@asiaone.com