Pasir Ris shop owners thought teen robber was buying buns, woman hurt when he tossed weapon

Elaine Lee
The Straits Times
Jan 12, 2024

A 15-year-old was arrested after he attempted to rob a steamed bun shop at Elias Mall in Pasir Ris.

The police said they were alerted to the incident along Elias Road at 6.05pm on Jan 11.

A 56-year-old woman sustained minor injuries and was taken conscious to hospital, the police added.

Mrs Chen received treatment at Changi General Hospital and was discharged on the same day.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force said it received a call for assistance at 6.10pm and took the victim to Changi General Hospital.

According to Shin Min Daily News, the owner of Bao Baby, who identified himself only as Mr Chen, thought the youth wanted to buy some steamed buns when he first walked into the shop.

“But the boy shook his head and said ‘no, no’,” said the 61-year-old, who was in the shop with his wife.

“While we were still trying to figure out what he wanted, he suddenly took out a sharp object, said something that we didn’t understand, and then pointed to the cash register.”

The couple realised that the youth wanted to rob them but, due to the communication barrier, they decided to use hand gestures to calm him down instead.

Seeing that the youth was becoming agitated, the couple told the Chinese-language daily that they wanted to comply in exchange for their safety.

However, as Mr Chen was about to open the cash register, a passer-by walked by, and Mrs Chen screamed and told her husband not to surrender the money.

“The youth turned around and saw that there were people outside the shop,” said Mr Chen.

“He was probably frightened because he threw his weapon at us and fled.”

The weapon accidentally hit Mrs Chen and left a 5cm injury on her chest.

According to Shin Min, the police found a shoe nearby, which was believed to have been worn by the youth during the incident.

A 15-year-old male teenager was arrested in relation to the incident, the police said.

Police investigations are ongoing.