Don't run out on your bill in Hongkou

A man was pulled from a taxi and beaten to death with bamboo and wooden sticks after reportedly failing to pay his bill at a restaurant in Hongkou District. This happened in the early hours of April 19. Two of the three suspects were caught 10 minutes after the beating took place. The third attacker is still at large.

The victim, one Mr. Chen, was part of a group of diners at a "streetside eatery" on Xinshi Nan Lu that allegedly failed to pay its bill. The story doesn't give an amount for the bill, but did say "they had ordered a rich fare." (Really, how much can you spend at a "streetside eatery" in Hongkou after midnight?)

Once he realized the group had left without paying, the "aggrieved eatery owner" chased after the group himeself and confronted them like a man got three of his friends who happened to be eating at the eatery (and also just happened to moonlight as hired thugs) to hunt down the fleeing diners and kill them. And boy did they ever do a good job! (Shanghaiist wonders if the deadbeat diners -- who, it might be safe to assume, were at least partially full of baijiu -- actually realized they didn't pay their bill. They didn't seem to be in a hurry to flee the scene.)

The story did not mention what, if any, charges the restaurant owner would face. We assume he is pretty untouchable, as owners of streetside eateries apparently roll like Tony Soprano in Hongkou.

Image from Sopranoland.