'How could I possibly fend them off?' 4 teens attack elderly man at Jurong East

An ordinary breakfast run recently went awry for a 67-year-old man — he was attacked by four teens who tried to rob him. 

The elderly man surnamed Chen told Lianhe Zaobao that the incident occurred at about 6.15am on July 13 at Block 225A, Jurong East Street 21. 

Chen, a retiree, was on his way home from Yuhua Village Market and Food Centre when he felt someone hit him on the back of his head. 

"I was stunned. I turned around to see who it was, and someone tried to grab my belongings from my left breast pocket. I panicked and used my hand to shield my pocket.

"After that I saw four people aged about 13 to 16 fleeing the scene," Chen told the Chinese daily. 

The elderly man also recalled the group mocking him with hand gestures as they ran away. Noticing that the four of them wore similar-looking shorts, Chen suspected they were from a nearby school and decided to tail them. 

He followed them for about 500 metres before the teens realised this.

According to him, one of them used a broom to hit Chen on the back of his head, causing him to fall to the ground. They also kicked his hand. 

"I actually only had my identity card, six dollars, and a comb in my pocket, but they didn't know," the elderly man said.

"They're young and strong, how could I possibly fend them off?" 

Surrounded by his assailants, Chen sought help from some residents who were practicing qigong in the area.

"It's very unfair that I was attacked for no reason," said Chen who suffered bruises and scratches.

He made a police report and identified the four teens based on the police's CCTV footage. 

The police told AsiaOne that they were alerted to an assault along Jurong East Street 21. They have established the identities of four male teens aged 13 to 14. 

The suspects were subsequently arrested for theft and theft in dwelling allegedly committed on July 12 and 13. They will also be investigated for the assault on Chen. 

In 2020, four youths aged between 12 and 16 were arrested for their alleged involvement in assaulting and robbing an elderly taxi driver in the vicinity of Sungei Tengah Road. 

The youths took $200 in cash from the car, and 64-year-old driver suffered severe bruising on his right eye. 

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claudiatan@asiaone.com