You never really know what kind of person you are until the time calls for it. Which is why there’s a popular saying which goes: “Not all heroes wear capes“. In this case, our local hero was actually wearing an apron!
On 17th January, a coffee shop in Cheras had quite the scare. As patrons were waiting for their food and drinks at the local eatery, two men stormed the shop with parangs. While most people fled, one brave hawker stood up for a fellow employee at the risk of her own safety.
The video, taken from the shop’s CCTV footage, was quick to go viral on Facebook. According to the time stamp on the footage, the incident had taken place at Taman Segar Perdana around 9:23am on Tuesday. Initially, things had been perfectly normal at the coffee shop. Patrons were waiting for their orders while the hawkers and employees bustled around managing the store.
But, things changed when two men stormed into the shop, wielding large parangs (machetes). They headed straight for the drinks stall where they started shouting at the employees. They were apparently looking for someone and as soon as they found their target, a blue-shirt employee, they attacked. Patrons fled as they started chasing the hapless employee around the store.
The employee fell at one point and grabbed a chair to defend himself. Luckily, a female hawker swooped in with a plastic chair of her own to defend him. She bought the employee time to get away while still dealing with the dangerous duo. At one point, she grabbed their arms to prevent them from going after the employee again. Despite them slashing at her, she didn’t move away and continued trying to stop them. They eventually left the store while the hawker picked up the mess.
Police later confirmed that the duo had been arrested yesterday (18th January). The two, aged between 44 and 47 years old, reportedly attacked the coffee shop employee as an act of revenge. According to the investigation, one of the men had been reprimanded by the employee when he made a fuss about his drink being served late. He was then chased out of the shop but returned later with a friend to attack the employee.
The victim reportedly injured his right knee and broke a bone in his left index finger. As for the duo, police will be detaining them for five days to help with the investigation. They are currently operating under Section 326 of the Penal Code (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons).
Well, that must have been a traumatizing experience. However, we are grateful nothing worse happened. And we definitely need to say kudos to the female hawker for stepping in, despite the clear danger! Her employees will certainly be protected with her around!
Check out the video here:
Sources: China Press (1)(2), The Online Citizen
