'I am sorry' - Miss Chin apologises to schoolgirl

Yuemei Pan, the Chinese woman who was seen in a video slapping a teenage girl and accusing her of stealing from her grocery store, has apologised to the youngster.

The 53-year-old's apology came after she was visited by dancehall artiste Mr Vegas and some members of the Clarks Town community in Trelawny yesterday.

“I'm so sorry,” Pan told the teenager. She was also captured on camera embracing the teenager.

“I told Miss Chin that it was only fair that she apologise to the child on camera as she was recorded on camera. I wanted her to know that even though the matter was dealt with in the court, Jamaicans still found her guilty so I told her she needed to apologise,” Mr Vegas said.

The entertainer said Pan’s apology appeared to be well-received as received numerous cheers came from onlookers as she embraced the child.

“This is a message to anyone who would think that you can just come into the island and take advantage of our citizens. We will not have it as we could not go to China or any other country and abuse anyone in that manner and it slide under the carpet,” Mr Vegas said.

The police said that at about 12:45 p.m. on December 7, 2017, the teen went to the store operated by Pan, picked up an item to purchase and went to the counter. Pan then grabbed the teen and proceeded to slap her in the face while accusing her of stealing. A report was subsequently made to the police and Pan was arrested and charged.

A video of the incident surfaced online earlier this month , sparking outrage and calls for the store operator’s arrest. She was, however, freed of the charges after no evidence was offered.

“Based on the feedback from the community, this little girl is a 'straight A' student and was definitely not a thief. It is just a misunderstanding gone really bad,” Mr Vegas said.