Singapore police investigate assault on elderly man who patted child's head

Police in Singapore are investigating the assault of an elderly man after he patted a young girl on the head at a food court.

A man believed to be the father of the young girl appeared agitated after the gesture and shoved the 73-year-old to the ground.

Security camera footage of the incident on Saturday went viral over the weekend. While some argued that the elderly man should not have touched the child without the parents' consent, most called the physical altercation an overreaction to a pat on the head.

In a statement on Sunday night, police said they had identified a 40-year-old man involved in the incident.

The police urged people "not to speculate on the incident or its circumstances" and to let police "conduct investigations and establish the facts of the case".

A video of the incident shows the elderly man patting the child on the head as he walked past her table at a food court in a shopping centre.

A woman seated at the same table, believed to be the girl's mother, immediately stopped him. Another man believed to be the father, walking back to the table, confronted the elderly man.

After what appeared to be a heated exchange, the younger man was seen grabbing the elderly man's arm and throwing him to the ground.

The elderly man has since been identified as Yeo Song Khoon, who owns Bei-Ing Wanton Noodle, a stall at the food court.

The incident sparked an outpouring of support for Yeo and his small, family-run stall. Long queues swarmed the shop when the BBC visited on Monday, with waiting times for a bowl of noodles going beyond an hour.

Yeo, who was taking orders at the front of the stall, declined to comment further on the incident, saying he felt "overwhelmed by the attention".

"Next time, perhaps? I feel very dizzy now," he said.

Many customers asked if he was feeling all right, while some were seen taking photographs with him. A notice pasted in front of the stall said it would be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday this week.

Yeo's family had posted a video on the stall's Facebook page over the weekend seeking help to identify the alleged assailant.

The post said Yeo was "in his 70s and has previous leg and hip injuries", but "did not want to pursue the matter further".

"Afterwards, the man sat down with my father, apologised and offered him a drink," the post said.

"While we appreciate that he eventually apologised, my father is now suffering from severe back pain following the incident. A drink and an apology cannot simply take away the physical pain or injuries he is experiencing," said Yeo's son, who had written the post.

According to an update posted on the stall's Instagram page on Sunday, Yeo had sought medical attention at the hospital after the incident.

Earlier, Yeo told Singapore news outlet Channel News Asia that he had patted the little girl's head because she "was very adorable".

"Old people like to pat young children's heads," he said.

He added that he started hurting hours after the fall, and that he was taking paracetamol for his pain.

In another post, the elderly man's son thanked the police for responding to the matter quickly, adding that he sincerely hoped "justice will be served for my father".