Elderly man shoved onto floor at East Coast coffeeshop after patting child's head

Family of an elderly man are seeking to identify a man who shoved him to the ground during a confrontation at Roxy Square food court at East Coast on Saturday (Aug 15).

Two CCTV footages were posted on Bei-Ing Wanton Noodle's Facebook and Instagram profiles on the same day.

They wrote in the first post: "Today, an incident happened at our coffeeshop that has left our entire family extremely upset and concerned."

The reel shows an elderly man moving through the tables slowly, using it to support himself. As he passed by a woman who is dining with her young daughter, he patted the child's head as a seemingly friendly gesture.

However, the girl's mum reached out her hands immediately to stop him, while the girl's father, who was at the drinks stall, rushed forward to confront the elderly.

He pointed at the latter before shoving him roughly to the ground even as he tried to explain himself.

The elderly man's family rushed forward immediately to help him up and to a seat nearby.

They wrote in the post: "In that moment, we were angry and wanted to confront the man. But my father, despite what had just happened to him, kept telling us that he was okay and that he did not want to pursue the matter further.

"That is the kind of person my father is. Even after being hurt, his first instinct was to let the matter go and not cause further trouble."

The family shared that the elderly man, who suffered from previous leg and hip injuries, is now experiencing severe back pain.

They added the man sat down with their father after that to apologise and offered him a drink, which the latter declined.

"A drink and an apology cannot simply take away the physical pain or injuries he is experiencing," they added in the post.

In the second post, which is now removed, they sat down at the table in a conversation. The girl's mother was carrying her daughter as they sat at the table they were dining at.

They wrote: "During the conversation, the man apologised and said he was being overprotective of his daughter."

The post also acknowledged that while parents can be protective, everyone sees the situation differently: "If my father's actions were truly malicious, why did the man himself apologise afterwards?

"An apology doesn't automatically determine who is right or wrong, but it does show that he recognised that the situation had gone too far.

"Whatever your views on the initial interaction, there was still no need for things to become physical, especially towards an elderly man who already struggles to walk."

The posts attracted the attention of many netizens, including local artistes and influencers, who condemned the man's behaviour. Some of them also advised them to lodge a police report.

Local actor Noah Yap commented: "I can't even bear to watch [till the end of] the video. I have been patronising Bei-Ing for over 20 years and the uncle practically saw me grow up.

"He is one of the friendliest and nicest guys I know, and he wouldn't hurt a fly. Yes, I get it that the parents were trying to be protective of their daughter, but so what? Pushing a 70+ year old uncle to the ground for patting her head?

"I am appalled."

Two clinics also commented in the Instagram post to express their concerns regarding the elderly man, with one offering complimentary consultation for his back pain.

In response to AsiaOne's queries, the police confirm that a report was lodged and investigations are ongoing.

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yeo.shuhui@asiaone.com