Two young men assisting police investigations for mischief over incident at 313@Somerset restaurant
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The men can be seen throwing chairs at the exterior of the store and at the construction barrier across the eatery.
PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM CHIMI'S/INSTAGRAM
SINGAPORE – Two young men, aged 17 and 22, are assisting with police investigations for mischief over an alleged incident at a restaurant in 313@Somerset mall.
In response to queries from The Straits Times, the police said they received a call for assistance at 313 Orchard Road at 4.30am on April 27. No injuries were reported.
Chimi’s, a Latin American restaurant located at the mall, said in a post on Instagram on April 27 that its premises had been vandalised that morning.
In CCTV footage Chimi’s shared in its post, silhouettes of an estimated three people can be seen pacing back and forth outside the restaurant’s shut blinds.
Timestamped 4.25am, the footage shows a man forcefully bend one of the blinds and enter the store, then take a seat.
Three minutes later, one man can be heard asking for a lighter, to which another responds that he does not have one.
Isolated clatter can be heard after that, with an object appearing to be thrown on the ground outside the eatery. At one point, a man can be seen swinging a chair at a construction barrier outside the restaurant.
A man can also be heard asking the other to record him while he flings a chair at the exterior of the store. At the end of the video, a man can be heard confronting the group, threatening to contact the police.
In its post, Chimi’s said: “Every day, our team shows up trying to build something honest. A place where people can come, relax, eat well, and feel taken care of.
“So it was hard to watch a group walk in while we were closed and, for no reason, start smashing a chair, breaking our blinds, and forcing their way into our space while others stood by and cheered.”
The ground-floor restaurant located in the al fresco dining area of 313@Somerset mall is the sister brand of Mexican restaurant and bar Chimichanga, which was established in 2018. Chimi’s has been a resident of the mall for four years now, it said in its Instagram post.
Calls to Chimi’s on April 29 were not answered.
In response to The Straits Times’ queries, the mall’s operator Lendlease said on April 30 it was aware of an “isolated vandalism incident” at Chimi’s.
“Our security officers responded promptly and alerted the police,” it said, adding that it is not able to share further details at this stage as investigations are under way.
The operator said that 313@somerset and the Chimi’s outlet have continued to operate as usual.
