Smoking Patron at Restaurant Attacks Pregnant Woman and Husband upon Confrontation, Police Investigation Follows

Confrontation Over Smoking Escalates

On 11 September, a pregnant woman and her husband were attacked by a fellow diner at an eatery in Section 13, Shah Alam, Malaysia.

The man was standing near them, and in consideration of their health, the couple had initially politely requested the man to stop smoking.

Police reported that the altercation followed the couple’s request, and the restaurant’s lack of intervention despite the latter asking them to help. Concerned about her unborn child’s safety, the woman then asked her husband to approach the smoker directly.

District police chief of Shah Alam, Assistant Commissioner Mohd Iqbal said that even after the repeated reprimands from the couple, the man continued smoking before blowing smoke at the complainant upon the third confrontation, resulting in a heated exchange.

Altercation Recorded on CCTV

The pregnant woman began filming the man on her phone, provoking an outburst from the smoking patron. He then allegedly slapped her hand, causing her phone to fall. This resulted in pushing and shoving between the three. The viral CCTV footage showed diners witnessing the brawl before the suspect walked out of the restaurant.

Police are investigating the incident under Section 323 of the Penal Code for voluntarily causing hurt and under Section 14 of the Minor Offences Act for indecent behaviour. Both offences carry possible fines, and in the case of voluntarily causing hurt, a jail term of up to one year.

Authorities have identified the suspect and are working on tracking him down.

Police Appeal for Information

The case is being handled by investigating officer Sergeant Rafiah Isa, and the police have appealed to anyone with further information to come forward by contacting 012-3770327.

Public Calls for Stricter Enforcement

The incident has rekindled discussions over the general ban on smoking in restaurants, which came into effect in 2019. Many users complained on social media, stating that the enforcement was more stringent in the initial years of the ban, but has gradually become lax.

They mentioned that the restaurant employees usually hesitate to intervene because of a possible confrontation; consequently, the customers themselves end up enforcing the rule.

Many opined for more active patrolling by the health officials and police to maintain a safer environment for all the restaurant patrons.

This viral video generated strong reactions from the public and reopened the public pressure for authorities to improve upon the monitoring of dining places and protection of public interest.

Watch the video here:

https://www.reddit.com/r/malaysia/comments/1nhgdqh/recent_incident_in_shah_alam_where_a_man_was/