Dang Wangi district police chief Zainol Samah this evening confirmed receiving a police report from the salesperson over the 7.20pm incident.
Zainol said the attacker has since been detained by security guards with the presence of police.
"He had two previous records of cases relating to drugs and theft," he said in a statement today.
The case is being investigated under Section 323 of the Penal Code for voluntarily causing hurt and Section 14 of the Minor Offences Act 1955 for threatening or insulting behaviour.
According to the police report, the salesperson, a 23-year-old who worked at one of the stores in Plaza Low Yat, said the man had interrogated him about the whereabouts of a colleague.
After the salesperson provided details such as the contact number and general location of where his colleague lived, the man then demanded to know what time the colleague starts work the next day.
However, while the salesperson was checking the schedule on when his colleague was coming in the next day, the man punched him on the lips four times.
Attacker left when customers stepped in
"The complainant (salesperson) then returned to his stall and told his colleagues that he was hit.
"The man followed him and scolded the complainant while showing his tatoo on his right arm and said: 'Do you know who I am?'," said the report.
Zainol added the attacker also snatched a tablet from a customer who recorded the incident and hurled the device back at its owner.
However, the attacker left after other customers intervened.
The incident brought back fresh memories of a minor theft at Plaza Low Yat that quickly escalated within a few days into rioting outside the complex.
In the July incident, two youths who had stolen a mobile phone from the top floor were stopped by promoters on the ground floor.
However the youths, who had backing from underworld groups, accused Plaza Low Yat traders of cheating them.
The gangs mobilised a large crowd outside Plaza Low Yat the following day, smashing cars and attacking businesses and journalists.
Low Yat assures safety
In a statement tonight, the management of Plaza Low Yat claimed the attacker was suspected to be "mentally unstable" or "intoxicated".
"The issue started when the suspect persistently followed the couple on a motorcycle, from Cheras all the way to the mall.
"When the couple arrived at a set of traffic lights, the suspect stopped next to the couple’s car and flashed a knife.
"Panicking, the couple sped off until they arrived at the mall, with the suspect still at their tail," it said.
The management added that the suspect returned at around 6pm and tried to track down the couple by approaching everyone who wore similar uniform to what the two were wearing.
"From there, he physically attacked a tenant staff who happened to be wearing similar clothing. The confusion persisted, where he attempted to attack other tenants’ staff members and even shoppers.
"The mall’s security team managed to subdue the aggressive individual and was immediately handed over to the authorities," it said.
The management assured that safety of its tenants and customers at Plaza Low Yat is its top priority.
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