In Singapore, it is an uncommon sight to see physical fights (unless you are at Clarke Quay on the weekend with drunk people around).
Therefore, it is not surprising that two men who were making a spectacle out of themselves fighting in the MRT train, which stopped at Orchard MRT station, were filmed by netizens for posting online.
Here’s what happened between the two men and the passers-by who tried to intervene.
Two Men Were Fighting On the Train at Orchard MRT Station
Facebook user @Sugar Plums posted a reel where two men were seen fighting in the MRT train.
One of the men was clad in a dark blue t-shirt and is seen lying on the ground with his legs wrapped tightly around the other man, who was in a light blue t-shirt.
The man in the light blue shirt was not content to have his neck in a chokehold between another man’s legs and thus can be seen squeezing the neck of the first man in a stranglehold.
The first man’s leg attack appears to be a jiu-jitsu triangle choke. Passengers who were around may not have expected to be treated to an MMA-like match on a regular commute.
While the two men tussled on the ground, two other men can be seen trying to break up the fight. One was a man clad in a red t-shirt and black mask, who was trying to pull the two men apart.
Another passer-by who was wearing a cap also tried to break up the fight between the two men. In fact, he was valiantly trying to stop the man on the ground from throwing punches at the man who he held in a chokehold with his legs.
After a few feeble attempts at separating the two men on the floor, the two passers-by left.
Funnily enough, while this four-person struggle was going on, a man wearing what looked like office-appropriate formal attire was standing in the background nonchalantly using his phone. This commuter appears totally unbothered by the fight happening right in front of him. He continues to use his phone as if nothing is amiss.
Either this man is totally oblivious to his surroundings, or he really does not care. Could this be what people mean when they say, “unbothered king”?
The video also captured two blue sliders abandoned on the ground as the men battled it out. There was also a backpack lying on the ground, presumably belonging to one of the fighting men.
Later in the video, the man who was pinned on the ground with his legs firmly kiapped on the other man’s neck ended up being lifted up to balance on his neck. This was because the kiapped man started to stand up.
Ouch. We can’t imagine resting your body weight on your neck.
This could be why the man on his neck started to struggle and use one of his legs to kick the standing man’s head.
The standing man then lost his balance and toppled over. It was then that the two men separated themselves from the physical entanglement.
After that, a man can be heard saying in Chinese that he will not beat the other man anymore.
Interestingly enough, there was no MRT staff seen throughout the video, and the men were left to fight freely.
The video did not mention the reason which sparked the fight between the two men or how long they were fighting. It was also unclear what happened after the fight broke up.
The Two Men Were Later Arrested by the Police
What we do know, however, is that the two men were arrested for their public brawling spectacle.
According to The Straits Times, the police were alerted to the dispute at Orchard MRT station at close to 11 pm at night. Upon arriving at the scene, the police arrested the two men for affray.
Affray is fighting in public which causes the public peace to be disturbed. If found guilty of affray, each of the men can be punished by a fine of up to S$5,000 or a jail term of up to one year, or both.
While we are curious as to what will happen to the two men, it seems like all we can do for now is wait for updates.
Fighting is uncommon in Singapore, but there have been sporadic instances of fighting over the years.
One of the notable incidents is where a young teen punched a food delivery driver. The teen was 13 years old then. This violent act occurred outside Le Quest Shopping Mall in Bukit Batok. Apparently, the punch was due to the man asking the boy what he was staring at.
Is that the classic fight-starting line that we hear of in movies?
The boy was not one to back down and asked the man to “come” and then charged at the delivery driver. This could be a “come at me, bro” situation taken too far.
After punches were thrown and the two men scuffled, the police were called in, and both individuals were sent for treatment at a hospital.
Earlier this year, there was also another incident of road rage where two drivers (and one of the driver’s family) got physical with each other. Apart from punches being thrown, an umbrella was also used as a weapon during the fray. Eventually, one of the drivers got into their car and drove off, which ended the spat between the two sides.
Have you ever witnessed a fight in real life?
