Four students have been assaulted in a random pepper spray attack at a Chinese restaurant on Cowley Road.
Stunned students were hospitalised after two men, described by police as white youths, sprayed the party-goers at private karaoke party.
Three restaurant staff in Lan Kwai Fong restaurant were also assaulted after they tried to intervene in the incident at 10pm on Saturday.
A barmaid at the restaurant said, “we heard some noise in the karaoke room so our staff tried to stop the men.
“One of them was punching a customer. When we tried to stop them, they sprayed us with pepper spray.”
Restaurant owner David Chu was left shaken by the experience. He told the Oxford Mail, “we tried to stop them, but we couldn’t, because they were spraying us as well… one of my colleagues found it difficult to breathe.”
His staff were also left traumatized by the attack. Mr Chu added, “the girls were quite scared, they were in pain … they went to hospital, because the police didn’t know what kind of spray had been used.”
One passer-by described the aftermath of the incident.
She said, “there was a big group of Chinese people outside the restaurant. Some of them were clutching their eyes, and being questioned by police.”
Chu suspects that the attack might be racially motivated. He commented, “the people in the private function room were Oriental, so it might be racist. It’s just Chinese people here, so I can’t think of any other explanation.”
He also suggested that the attack may have been premeditated, “the two people who did this were prepared. People don’t carry pepper spray around with them normally”.
Thames Valley police have not ruled out racist motives. A spokesman described the attack as a “peculiar incident.” He stressed that the police were “keeping an open mind.” No one has yet been arrested in connection with the assault.
The restaurant has since introduced CCTV in the hope that this will deter future attackers.
