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SHE approached a customer sitting at the coffeeshop table to ask if she wanted to order a drink.

Instead, the 'customer' accused her of staring and challenged her to a fight.

She swung a chair at Madam Xiao Ping, chased her around the coffee shop and then lunged at her with a knife.

Fortunately, the coffeeshop assistant managed to escape with just minor cuts on her face, neck and hands.

What's unusual about the threat and attack was the assailant's age. She was no teenage thug but a woman in her 60s.

The attack happened around 10.30am yesterday at a coffee shop at Blk 27A Commonwealth Avenue.

Madam Xiao Ping, 49, told Shin Min Daily News: 'I saw a woman sitting by herself and asked if she wanted to order a drink. She ignored me.

'Moments later, while I was serving drinks to other customers, she looked at me and said, 'What you looking at? Want to fight?'

'As I was walking away, she picked up a chair and tried to attack me with it.'

Another witness, a security guard who gave his name only as Mr Chen, told Lianhe Wanbao that the victim managed to grab hold of the chair before it hit her.
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'The two of them held on to the chair tightly and struggled, like in a tug-of-war, before the chair finally dropped to the floor,' he said.

Madam Xiao Ping said she then tried to run, but the woman chased her and started to hit and slap her.

Some customers tried to separate the two women.

But the assailant suddenly pulled out a 10-cm knife from her handbag.

An assistant at the Muslim food stall said: 'We were all shocked.

'When I saw the knife in the woman's hand, I just didn't know what to do.

'All the customers just scattered.'

Mr Chen said the assailant then lunged at MadamXiao Ping, who tried to run to the other side of the table, but could not escape.

In the scuffle, Madam Xiao Ping suffered cuts on her right cheek, neck and left hand.

FRIGHTENING

Mr Lee Tong Lai, 48, a supervisor at the drinks stall, told The New Paper yesterday evening: 'It was a frightening few minutes for all of us at the coffee shop.

'Although it was just minor cuts, Xiao Ping was screaming in shock and pain.

'She was lucky that after the few cuts, the woman didn't continue to slash her or chase her.

'The woman pointed the knife at people around her and kept shouting, 'Don't come near me!'

'There was a point when she just sat down with the knife and shouted, 'If you have the guts, come out and fight with me!'

Mr Lee said he called the police immediately.

Mr Chen said the attack lasted about 10 minutes.

He said: 'Maybe the auntie got tired, she just sat down and put the knife back into her handbag.'

He added that although she was panting, she didn't stop verbally abusing the victim.

Mr Chen said five police cars and 12 officers arrived minutes later.

The woman repeatedly waved the knife at the policemen, and struggled violently while spewing vulgarities at them.

In the end, it took four policemen to take the woman into custody, Lianhe Wanbao reported.

Madam Xiao Ping has since seen a doctor for her injuries.

Mr Lee, who has been working at the coffee shop for two years, said he didn't know why the woman attacked Madam Xiao Ping, who is known to be quiet and reserved.

Madam Xiao Ping told Shin Min that she didn't know the woman and had no enemies.

Mr Chen said the assailant was just 1.5m tall, petite, with short hair. She was wearing a red T-shirt and long brown pants.

Police say they are investigating the incident.

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