The internet has probably become the best source of videographic evidence for the police.
It’s kind of amazing how fast people can whip out their phones to film the conflict and share it online without any care instead of mediating the situation as it unfolds.
The police are currently looking into a fight between a man and woman that broke out on Wednesday morning (6 July) in Beach Road, at around 9:08am.
Judging from the footage, it seems that the incident happened along Minto Road next to Sultan Plaza.
What Happened?
When the video starts, it’s practically impossible to make out what the two are arguing about, but it’s clear from the woman’s vulgar gestures that they’re not happy with each other.
Far from it. Around 14 seconds into the clip, the woman stretches out her leg, and in a very “This is Sparta” form, kicks the car.
The driver clearly sees or feels the kick because he exits his car immediately, stalking up to her and slapping her face.
The slap happens out of camera’s view and under the roof, but there’s no mistaking the swing of his hand at head level.
The argument continues, both sides now enraged. They jab at each other with accusatory fingers and the woman tries to kick the man, only for the man to dodge by stepping back.
From the man’s pointing, it’s clear that he’s confronting her for the kick. The dispute escalates further when the man shoves her hand away and slaps her again, sending her cap flying onto the road.
He kicks her hat back onto the pavement and she retaliates by kicking his left side view mirror.
The man stomps forward and she backs away, except she trips on the uneven tiles and grassy pavement. Once she climbs back to her feet again, she targets the side view mirror again.
Now the man is seriously pissed because he grabs her arm and throws her to the floor.
She falls hard, the upper half of her body hitting the pavement, waist hitting the curb, and knees brushing against asphalt.
The dispute finally ends when the man clambers back into the driver’s seat and swerves away, while the woman flings the side view mirror back.
No idea why they had to go so far, but the sting on their hands is theirs.
Netizens’ Response
As of the time of writing this article, the video has gained over 70,000 views and nearly 300 comments on the Singapore Laughs Facebook page.
There’s a general consensus that the violence shouldn’t be condoned, but the netizens are fairly split between who holds a greater portion of the blame.
Some said that the woman had purposefully antagonised the man by kicking his car, while others said that the man should have just filed a police report for vandalism instead of escalating the situation, and that he shouldn’t have hit a woman.
The fact that he’s probably a vocational driver only makes his conduct more unbecoming, but other Facebook users have fired back that he has the right to be angry since she was damaging the car.
Regardless, violence is never the answer to anything.
Featured Image: Facebook (Singapore Laughs)
