Customers bring gifts, children to meet elderly stallholder after he was shoved over head-pat

Mr Yeo Song Khoon is mostly seated at his stall but occasionally walks unsteadily to the back of the shop. His family previously told the media that Mr Yeo has had difficulty walking for years.

SINGAPORE: Customers of Bei-Ing Wanton Noodles are still streaming in with gifts and well wishes for its 73-year-old owner, almost a week after he was shoved to the ground for patting a girl's head.

Police said on Friday (Aug 21) the case is still under investigation, and the family told CNA the medical reports have been submitted to the authorities.

When CNA visited, owner Yeo Song Khoon was busy taking orders, with a queue forming as early as 11.30am.

Among the customers was Mr Jo Ng, 40, who brought his one-year-old daughter to meet Mr Yeo. The sleep technologist told him he could pat her head, and he obliged.

“I said ‘you can pat her head’, and she was quite comfortable,” said Mr Ng. “And hopefully that’s therapy to him also, because he kind of could be traumatised touching a child’s head.”

He added that Mr Yeo appeared to "heave a sigh of relief" afterwards.

"So really, I'm very thankful to see that he was not traumatised from touching another baby's head," he said.

Mr Ng, who has patronised the store since he was a teenager, said he also offered free physiotherapy sessions to Mr Yeo, which the latter declined.

Ms Joanne Fu joined the queue with her four-year-old daughter with the same intention – to wish Mr Yeo well.

The 41-year-old, who works in sales, asked her daughter to pass Mr Yeo a “get well soon” balloon as they placed their order. Mr Yeo accepted the balloon with a smile, waving goodbye to the girl.

“I hope that he can get back on his feet again,” said Ms Fu in Mandarin. “I hope his love for kids can continue.”

Ms Janice Tan, a frequent customer, brought her three children aged seven to 12 to the stall.

The 41-year-old homemaker said her children had been upset seeing news of Mr Yeo and wanted to check on him.

“For them to see someone that they know being treated that way, I think it hurt them quite a bit,” she said. “So today I went and told uncle: ‘Uncle, these three kids you can pat their heads anytime.’”

Mr Yeo told CNA that he is now more careful around children since the incident. “If they tell me I can approach their children, then I will,” he said in Mandarin.

He also said medicine he has been taking for back pain has left him too disoriented, and declined to answer further questions.

A table beside the stall held a "get well soon" hamper, fruit and other gifts from customers. Business was healthy throughout the lunch period, with waiting times of up to an hour.

WHAT HAPPENED

Police said last week they had identified a man in relation to the alleged assault of the older man at 50 East Coast Road on Aug 15.

Closed-circuit television footage posted by the business showed the incident taking place at its Roxy Square outlet. The footage showed Mr Yeo passing a table and using it for support when he briefly reached out and patted a young girl on the head.

The child's father became upset and confronted him, the family said in the social media post. The footage then showed Mr Yeo being shoved and falling to the ground.

The incident has since gone viral, with many online condemning the alleged assault and questioning who was involved.

Mr Yeo told CNA he saw a doctor for an appointment on Friday morning, who confirmed a fracture in his back. He said that the medical report had been handed to the police for investigations, and so was unable to show it to CNA.

While mostly seated, Mr Yeo occasionally walked unsteadily to the back of his store, holding onto nearby furniture for support. His family previously told the media that Mr Yeo has had difficulty walking for years.

"Members of the public are advised not to speculate on the incident or its circumstances, and to allow the police to conduct investigations and establish the facts of the case," the police said last week.