Elderly Owner Of Bei-Ing Wanton Noodle Shoved To Ground In Dispute Over Patting Girl's Head Declines To See Doctor For Back Injury
“He’s stubborn like that. He doesn’t want trouble or to complicate things, that’s why he didn’t want to pursue the matter further,” the senior hawker’s son tells 8days.sg. The altercation was caught on CCTV at their Roxy Square stall.
Seventy something hawker Yeo Oh Song Khoon, second-generation owner of popular stall Bei-Ing Wanton Noodle at Roxy Square 1, has gone viral in an altercation caught on CCTV at the food court where his eatery is housed. The senior was shoved to the ground following an interaction in which he patted a young girl on the head on Aug 15.
He is the father of third-gen hawker Ray Yeo, who opened a spin-off noodle shop at The Bullion Hawker Bar farther down East Coast Road. Ray tells 8days.sg that his father sustained a back injury from the incident but refuses to see a doctor.
“He’s stubborn like that. He doesn’t want trouble or to complicate things, that’s why he didn’t want to pursue the matter further. But [the other guy] trying to offer my dad a drink as an apology [after shoving him to the ground]? Dude. That’s not a very nice gesture. No sense of remorse also, as seen on the CCTV footage.
No part of this story or photos can be reproduced without permission from 8days.sg.
Photo: Alvin Teo
Ray confirms that a police report has been made and the authorities have advised his father to consult a doctor. “We are forcing him to see a doctor,” he tells 8days.sg. The incident came to public attention after social media posts by Ray on Bei-Ing Wanton Noodle’s social media accounts appealed for information to identify the man involved in the confrontation.
Photo: Facebook/Bei-Ing Wanton Noodle
Bei-Ing Wanton Noodle has operated at the basement food court in Roxy Square 1 since 1984. The stall was founded by Mr Yeo’s aunt before he took over when she retired.
Ray previously told 8days.sg that his father, who is “not a cook”, handled orders at the original stall.
Photo: Alvin Teo
In a 2022 article on 8days.sg, our colleague described Mr Yeo as “chatty” and “outgoing”, and noted his “iconic booming voice” when calling out queue numbers at the Roxy Square stall.
Ray's initial social media post states that Mr Yeo, who has difficulty walking, had been walking past a table and using tables for support when he briefly reached out and patted a young girl on the head. The child's father then became upset and confronted Mr Yeo, the family alleged. CCTV footage showed Mr Yeo being shoved and falling to the ground.
Ray's post added that relatives who were present helped him up, but the elderly hawker had declined to pursue the matter. The other man later sat down with him, apologised and offered him a drink. In a subsequent FB post, his son said Mr Yeo was suffering from “severe back pain” following the incident and appealed for information that could help identify the people involved.
Photo: Alvin Teo
Another post, which was later removed, contained footage showing the two men seated across from each other at a table. According to the accompanying text, the girl's father apologised and said he had been "overprotective" of his daughter. The man involved in the dispute has not yet been identified.
Ray tells 8days.sg the family plans to take the senior Mr Yeo to see a doctor tonight (16 Aug) as “it needs to be official and documented". He adds: "I hope justice is served for my father".
Bei-Ing Wanton Noodle is located at #01-64 Roxy Square 1, 50 East Coast Rd, S428769, and The Bullion Hawker Bar, 396 East Coast Rd, S428994. More info via Instagram.
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