Man arrested after smashing beer bottles and injuring coffee shop patron in drunken rage

A 37-year-old man was arrested after he injured someone while kicking up a drunken ruckus at People's Park Food Centre on Sunday (Oct 1).

In response to a Stomp query, the police said they were alerted to a fight at 32 New Market Road at 2.17pm.

A 37-year-old man sustained a minor injury but refused conveyance to the hospital, while another man of the same age was arrested for rash act causing hurt.

A 78-year-old retiree, Mr Deng, told Shin Min Daily News that he saw a man in a purple shirt arguing with a man in a grey shirt.

There was also the sound of glass shattering, which turned out to be from someone smashing beer bottles onto the ground.

A man in a black shirt was subsequently seen pulling the man in purple outside the hawker centre.

Mr Deng said he called the police, adding: "At first, I thought no one was injured, but afterwards I saw the man in black talking to the police with a plaster on his hand and realised that he had gotten cut.

Reporters who visited the scene on Sunday afternoon noted that many patrons had already started drinking alcohol. Several tables had more than six bottles of beer.

A vendor at the hawker centre said the man in purple was likely drunk and venting, and not targeting anyone in particular.

She told Shin Min: "The police are here regularly. Customers leave the hawker centre very dirty every time they drink. Maybe it would be safer to replace the beer bottles with cans."

Another store employee in the area added: "This kind of thing happens often and I have gotten accustomed to it."

Police investigations are ongoing.