A 73-year-old Singaporean man has received an outpouring of public support after he was allegedly shoved to the ground following a brief interaction with a young girl at a food court.
Police in Singapore are investigating the alleged assault of an elderly man who was shoved to the ground after patting a young girl on the head.
The incident happened on Saturday at a food court inside a shopping centre and was captured by security cameras. The footage later spread widely online, prompting a heated debate over whether the man’s gesture was inappropriate and whether the response went too far.
The 73-year-old man is Yeo Song Khoon. He runs a small family noodle stall called Bei-Ing Wanton Noodle. He told local news he patted the girl simply because she “was very adorable.”
“Old people like to pat young children’s heads,” he explained.
The parents did not see it that way. Security footage shows the mother immediately stopping him. The father walked up, argued with Yeo, grabbed his arm, and threw him down.
Later, the younger man sat with Yeo, apologized, and offered him a drink. But a drink does not fix a bad back. Yeo ended up at the hospital taking painkillers for his injuries.
His son took to Facebook to explain the reality of the situation. “While we appreciate that he eventually apologised, my father is now suffering from severe back pain,” the son wrote. “A drink and an apology cannot simply take away the physical pain.”
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The internet saw the viral video and got angry on Yeo’s behalf. By Monday, the line for his noodles stretched out the door. People waited over an hour just to hand him their money and show support.
But the attention is heavy. When customers tried to take photos and ask how he was doing, Yeo just looked exhausted.
“Next time, perhaps? I feel very dizzy now,” he told them.
The police have identified the younger man and asked the public to stop speculating. Yeo had to close his stall for two days just to rest his body. The internet brought him plenty of business, but it takes a lot more than a hot bowl of soup to heal a bad back.
