Charles Liu, A violent, rampaging drunk that turned a busy Shenzhen restaurant into a chaotic mess was subdued by a group of people led by a local expat, described as having “bravely taken the lead” when other Chinese were not willing to get involved.
Mother’s Day on Sunday was a busy night for restaurants in China, and the Runqing Four Seasons Restaurant on Xinsha Road in Shenzhen’s Futian District was no different. Mr Tang, the owner of the restaurant, said 100 people were waiting for a table at the time when a bare-chested man arrived with his friends.
According to an eyewitness, the bare-chested man wanted to “drink some tea” but was unwilling to take a number and wait in line. Even though friends of the bare-chested man wanted to leave, the man became irate. “He messed up things on the front counter,” Tang said. “I went over to stop him, but he threatened me, reeking of alcohol. Then I went to call the police.”
The bare-chested man then lost his temper, pulling out payment machines located at the front counter, smashing things, and assaulting other people in the restaurant that included restaurant staff and an elderly customer.
This was all too much for an expat that was having dinner in the restaurant with a female companion. The expat tried to rally other Chinese to work with him, making gestures when they didn’t understand the words he spoke. “The foreigner said some stiff words in Putonghua to the other male clients in the restaurant,” Tang said. “He said, ‘Let’s… subdue… him… together…’, accompanied with some hand movements.”
However, getting others to cooperate did not prove to be easy. “All the people in the vicinity advised him not to do anything out of fear something may happen to him,” Tang explained. “The wait staff was worried, and blocked (the foreigner) from doing anything.”
Despite these obstacles, the drunk man was subdued at the entrance to the bar by a group of people working together under the direction of the expat. The foreigner sat on top of the drunk man, and used hand gestures to get other people involved. “(The expat) was very brave. He continually called out for others to help out and join in as he took the lead.”
Once police arrived, the unidentified expat left the scene. He is described as being in his thirties, possibly European, and has eaten at the restaurant before. He is thought to live in the vicinity of the restaurant.
A suspect named Zhou was taken to the Tian’an police substation where he is under criminal detention and has been charged with causing public disorder. Tian’an police say the drunk man did not cooperate with police at the station, and remained aggressive. One officer is described as having suffered injuries to his face and hands as a result of dealing with Zhou.
Here is a video report of the incident with some footage taken at the scene:
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