Alleged Sim Lim shoplifter turns violent when caught -- then gets beaten up by crowd

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PHOTO: TNP
A man accused of shoplifting at Sim Lim Square turned violent and hit an onlooker before he was attacked by the crowd.
According to a report in The New Paper, Paul (not his real name), who works at the store involved, said that the man, wearing a black T-shirt, was behaving suspiciously when he walked in at about 1.25pm on 29 June.
The assistant of the electronics gadget store, located at the ground storey atrium, declined to be identified for fear of reprisals
He said that he saw the man stuffing a pair of headphones costing more than $10 into his pocket.
Paul confronted the man, accused him of shoptheft and tried to detain him when he turned violent.
He raised his voice and took off his T-shirt to show off his tattoos, telling everyone that he was a martial arts exponent while waving his hands as if ready to fight.
The shop assistant tried to pin the violent man on the ground as he screamed and struggled.
Thinking it was okay to release him after he calmed down, the man instead jumped back up and started to verbally abuse Paul.
Paul said, "He kept challenging me and saying that he has fought bigger guys than me. He also waved his arms wildly, as though he was trying to show off his martial arts skills."
The assistant kept his cool, but a crowd of onlookers had gathered, recording the scene with their mobile phones.
The man then ran towards an onlooker to his left and elbowed his face several times before he started punching and kicking him.
After the onlooker retaliated with a punch, a group of unknown men ran towards the alleged shoplifter and attacked him.
The man collapsed after receiving a few blows, pulling down a few shelves of electronic gadgets as he fell, but they still kept punching and kicking him.
The man and his attackers were separated by security guards and the store assistant, who ran in and shouted for everyone to disperse. The store was left in a mess, with items scattered all over the floor.
A police spokesperson said that they received a call at about 1.32pm and arrested four men when they arrived at the scene - one theft in dwelling and three for rioting.
Sim Lim Square security staff said they could not comment about the incident, but said that "everything was back to normal" at about 3.30pm. The police are investigating.


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