'He said I was a virus': Teen attacked, insulted and had phone thrown into drain by man

A trip to the gym became a trip to the hospital after a teen was insulted and attacked by a stranger on Tuesday night (Feb 23).

"He said I was a virus," the 19-year-old victim recounted in an interview with Lianhe Wanbao.

The man, who looked to be in his 50s, had been walking ahead of him, with his wife and baby for company. The victim was going to the gym at Bedok Community Centre.

After the group reached a stoplight, the man suddenly turned towards the victim and yelled "virus" at him.

When confronted, the man said he was simply talking to his wife. According to the victim, they got into a fight after and claimed the man continued to insult him, calling him "virus" throughout.

The man allegedly punched the victim on the right arm and clawed at him, causing his arm to bleed. The elder also threw the victim's phone into the drain after the latter attempted to film him with it.

[[nid:488674]]

The altercation broke apart after a pair of passers-by came to the victim's aid and called the police.

"However, the man went over to tell the girl that I was a virus and that they shouldn't believe what I say," the teen told the Chinese evening daily. "It made me so mad."

But seeing that a police report had been lodged, the man quickly left with his wife and the baby. The teen headed to the hospital to dress his wounds. However, his phone suffered from water damage and could not start. 

The incident left the teen feeling dumbfounded and wronged. He had never encountered the man since he moved to Singapore at the age of 12 and had no idea why he was attacked.

He lamented: "The other party was really terrible."

The police confirmed with AsiaOne that a report was lodged and investigations are ongoing. 

rainercheung@asiaone.com