On Thursday (14 April), a violent crime occurred on Liang Seah street involving a 46-year-old man and a 41-year-old woman.
The woman had been slashed multiple times with a chopper wielded by the man before several members of the public intervened to try to stop him.
This included staff members of the nearby Zhong Hua Steamboat restaurant and other workers in the area.
They had thrown various items such as baskets, chairs, and bins to stop the attacker from harming the woman further.
Allegedly Husband and Wife
According to The Straits Times, the man who had slashed the woman repeatedly was husband and wife.
They were a couple from China and have two kids together.
A worker from Zhong Hua Steamboat said that the victim of the attack worked at Chong Qing (Origin) Steamboat. Both eateries are located along Beach Road where the attack had happened.
Another owner of nearby restaurant, Samurai BBQ, added that the victim was from the Henan province in central China.
The owner said that the victim had intentions to return to China some time ago, “but stayed on to help her boss with the hotpot restaurant here”.
In a separate video interview, the people involved shared that they did feel scared about having to deal with the man who was armed but felt like they “had to save the woman first”.
Attack Came Out From Nowhere
In a 22-minute Facebook live stream, the owner of Chong Qing (Origin) Steamboat, Edmund Tan, had spoken about his experience during the attack.
After assuring his followers that he was fine after the incident, Tan clarified that “we don’t really know what happened”.
During the live stream, Tan revealed that the woman attacked was one of his employees.
“When (the man) was attacking her, I had just arrived. I was in the car,” said Tan.
“Even with my staff and my injured staff, they also don’t know what happened,” continued Tan when probed by his followers to explain the attack.
“(The attack) just happened suddenly,” said Tan.
From what he heard, the attacker may be the victim’s ex-husband. Tan explains that he doesn’t really talk about “private stuff” with his staff members.
“Last week, I did ask her where’s (is) her husband, but she said he went back to China,” said Tan during his live stream.
The police have since arrested the attacker. His weapon was seized by the police.
The 46-year-old will be charged in court on 16 April 2022 with attempted murder, under Section 307 of the Penal Code.
If found guilty of attempted murder, the attacker could face life imprisonment, jail time of up to 20 year and a fine, or both.
Featured Image: Facebook (Farouk Hakim)