73yo Singapore hawker in hospital after being thrown to ground for patting girl's head

On August 15, a 73-year-old Singaporean hawker named Yeo Song Khoon was assaulted at a stall located at 50 East Coast Road. According to his family, Yeo initially refused medical attention and left the scene. He later went to the hospital for checks after his family posted his image in a hospital gown on Instagram. Yeo's stall, Bei-Ing Wanton Noodle, remains closed until August 20.

In an interview with Mediacorp's 8world, Yeo stated that he had shut his stall and was buying coffee at another shop when he noticed a young girl, approximately two or three years old, sitting at a table. He found her adorable and decided to pat her head. CCTV footage posted on the stall's social media accounts shows Yeo moving slowly between tables and steadying himself on them before touching the girl's head.

Her mother reached out to stop him, and her father, who had stepped away from the table, returned, grabbed Yeo's arm, and pulled him to the ground. Yeo struck a table while falling and hit his head, resulting in a swollen and red injury. His son, Yeo Zhi Wei, mentioned that Yeo had walked with a limp for over 20 years due to a previous traffic accident and had implants in both hips and unequal leg lengths.

The girl's father apologized for the incident, offering Yeo a drink, which he declined. The family later posted the CCTV footage publicly to locate the man responsible and sought witnesses. Most commenters condemned the force used, but some argued that parents may have reasons not to want strangers touching their children. Notable figures such as Ah Boys to Men actor Noah Yap, actress Lina Ng, and Romeo Tan expressed their support for Yeo, condemning violence as never the answer.

The incident garnered significant attention, with over 1,700 comments and 3,000 shares on Facebook within 24 hours.