Man Fined for Fighting While Trying to Break Up a Fight

The next time you intend to be a mediator between two people fighting, please think twice if it involves physical fighting.

A man was charged with affray and fined $1,200 for fighting with another man to stop a fight earlier this year.

Totally not worth it.

The Original Fight

On the night of 3 March 2024, a fight had broken out between two men at Redhill Food Centre.

According to Shin Min Daily News, 62-year-old Tan Tor Chai, who was an assistant at a satay beehoon stall there, had been drinking with his friends near the stall when they got into a quarrel with another group.

As the situation got more tense, Tan ended up in a fight with a man from the other group and put him in a headlock. After throwing the latter to the ground, Tan then smashed the man’s head with a beer bottle, leaving the victim bloodied.

It was at this point that Soon Chee Soon, who was at the food centre for dinner, witnessed the scene and decided to intervene.

The 58-year-old told Tan to stop hurting the man, but got a response from Tan telling him to mind his own business.

The two men started arguing and eventually got into a physical altercation themselves, in which Soon shoved Tan. Tan then pinned Soon to the ground and also threw a chair at him.

Maybe Soon saw that Tan was getting violent again, which might have been the reason why he wanted to leave the scene. But Tan was not ready to let things slide, as he chased Soon around with a glass cup.

Soon then grabbed a tray from a nearby table and dumped a bucket of water onto Tan to defend himself.

It was only when someone shouted “police” that Tan stopped and fled the scene.

How It Ended

After the police arrived, Soon was sent to the hospital to get treated for his injuries. According to Shin Min Daily News, he hurt his back when he fell down during the fight.

At this point, I’m just wondering what happened to the man who was smashed in the head with the beer bottle.

This case has caught the attention of netizens recently, with many of them commending Soon’s efforts, and others saying “this is why most Singaporeans choose to have a ‘not my problem’ attitude”. Some even questioned why Soon was fined when all he did was grab a tray and pour a bucket of water on Tan as self defence.

Well, Tan turned himself in a day after the incident. He has been charged with affray and voluntarily causing hurt, and will apparently be pleading guilty on 23 September.