1 woman arrested, another faints after crowds turn rowdy over $54 Huawei phone

Many Singaporeans were left fuming after a National Day promotion by Huawei went awry, but one woman was so agitated that she kicked up a ruckus and ended up being arrested.

The promotion for a $54 Y6 Pro 2019 smartphone saw huge crowds at Huawei stores islandwide on Friday (July 26), with queues forming even before opening hours.

However, limited stocks resulted in the promotion getting cut short, several Huawei outlets being closed for the rest of the day, and very angry mobs.

A video circulating online shows a woman in a tussle with police officers and them trying to restrain her at the Huawei store in Jem shopping mall. She was subsequently nabbed.

Responding to a Stomp query, the police said they were alerted to the incident at 52 Jurong Gateway Road at 10.25am.

"A 53-year-old woman was causing a commotion inside the store when she was told she did not obtain a ticket issued by the Huawei staff earlier, which would allow her to purchase the phone at the promotional price," a police spokesman told Stomp.

"She refused to leave the store despite several requests by the store manager to leave the premises.

"When police officers arrived, the woman refused to comply with police officers' instructions to leave the premises and was subsequently arrested for criminal trespass."

According to Shin Min Daily News, the woman caused a commotion for 20 minutes and ignored three police warnings.

Police investigations are ongoing.

Another video making the rounds on social media shows how a woman had apparently fainted at the Huawei Concept Store in Jurong Point during the promotional event.

Several members of the public can be seen attending to the woman as she lay on the ground, as one lady fanned her.

At least 60 police officers were activated on Friday morning to maintain order at Huawei stores islandwide, reported Shin Min.

In a media statement, Huawei said: "We are truly sorry to have disappointed those who have shown your support from early morning... Y6 Pro 2019 handsets have been sold out island-wide and have recorded an unprecedented surge of demand.

"The company would like to thank members of the public for their continued support and regrets the insufficient supply for the masses."

It added that it is currently "assessing other possibilities to address the situation and will continue to offer attractive promotions for all".