A San Francisco gallery owner who sprayed water on a homeless woman in a video that has since gone viral and racked up millions of views, has been arrested.
The San Francisco Police Department arrested Collier Gwin, the 71-year-old gallery owner, and charged him with assault Wednesday after he sprayed the homeless woman with a water hose after she claimed she turned ” belligerent” and “violent”. The interaction was caught on video and has since gone viral.
“On January 18, 2023, at approximately 3:30 p.m., Gwin was arrested in the 700 block of Montgomery Street per warrant. Gwin was transported to the San Francisco County Jail, where he was booked per warrant. arrest on assault charge. (242 PC),” San Francisco police said.
The arrest comes more than a week after the initial incident that took place on Monday, January 9, when Gwin was originally targeted after video showed him casually leaning against a door while spraying a local homeless woman in the face and the torso.
SAN FRANCISCO GALLERY OWNER CONFRONTED FOR HOSING DOWN HOMELESS WOMAN, FIGHTS BACK: SHE WAS ‘VIOLENT’
Polk Street near City Hall views tents and homeless people during a rainy day in San Francisco on January 13, 2023 as atmospheric river storms hit California, USA.
(Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
She was sitting on the sidewalk just a few feet from Gwin during the incident.
The video it quickly racked up more than 4.7 million views on Twitter.
Many people who responded called Gwin’s interaction and actions “horrible” and “beyond disgusting.”
Polk Street near City Hall views tents and homeless people during a rainy day in San Francisco on January 13, 2023 as atmospheric river storms hit California, USA.
(Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Gwin later defended his actions by saying that he previously tried to help the woman, but she refused and then became agitated and aggressive.
“I’ve been here for 40 years. We have tons of homeless people [people]. But they haven’t been in a situation where they get that violent. [within] 10 days in the neighborhood trying to do something. We were able to get them to a shelter, which they leave immediately,” Gwin told Twitter user and San Francisco resident Darren McKeeman.
SAN FRANCISCO DRUG HOMELESS CRISIS EXPOSED BY CITIZEN JOURNALISTS
McKeeman chimed in, saying, “I’ve heard her talk to people and say, ‘No, this is the way I want to live. My idea of clean isn’t their idea of clean.'”
Gwin brushed the comment off, simply replying, “It’s fine, as long as you know what you’re saying.”
The gallerist defended his action again during an interview with The San Francisco Chronicle, where he said that the woman “had gone psychotic and was rummaging through trash cans.”
Homeless tents and a homeless woman are seen near the Tenderloin district during a rainy day in San Francisco on January 13, 2023, as atmospheric river storms hit California, United States.
(Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Homeless tents are seen near the Tenderloin district during a rainy day in San Francisco on January 13, 2023, as atmospheric river storms hit California, United States.
(Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
“I told him, ‘You have to move, I can’t clean the street, move down.’ She starts yelling belligerent things, spitting at me, yelling at me,” Gwin told the newspaper. “At that point, she was so out of control… I sprayed her with the hose and said, ‘Move, move. I’ll help you'”.
Their conversation was recorded and uploaded to social media, where it amassed more than 1.2 million views.
Gwin has since apologized, according to FOX 2 San Francisco. He said: “I’m totally sorry I reacted where I tried to move her and I did it in the wrong way.”
MAN KIDNAPS SAN FRANCISCO MUNI BUS, ASSAULTS DRIVER BEFORE DRIVING 10 VEHICLES
San Francisco police said they initially responded to the scene in the 700 block of Montgomery Street following calls of a possible assault.
“Officers arrived on scene and met with a male suspect, identified as Shannon Collier Gwin, 71, of San Francisco, and an adult victim who was involved in a dispute. Officers interviewed both parties, who further denied police actions at that time,” police said in a statement.
The statement added: “The San Francisco Street Crisis Response Team responded to the scene and provided multiple service options to the victim. Officers produced a police report documenting the incident.”
And “SFPD investigators took over the investigation and developed probable cause to obtain a warrant for Gwin’s arrest.”
San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins issued the arrest warrant following the police department’s investigation and review of the incident, she revealed on Twitter.
“The alleged assault on a homeless member of our community is completely unacceptable. Mr. Gwin will face appropriate consequences for his actions,” he wrote.
A photo of San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins.
(Twitter/Brooke Jenkins)
Jenkins also referenced the backlash Gwin’s business has received, adding: “Similarly, the vandalism of the Foster Gwin gallery is also completely unacceptable and must stop – two wrongs don’t make a right.”
The tweet erroneously says the incident occurred in January 2022, though he corrected it in another to say it happened last week, in 2023.
SAN FRANCISCO REPAIRS PROPOSAL MAKES WAVES: ‘AMERICA MUST ADMIT ITS SIN’
San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott similarly discouraged people from taking action against Gwin or his business.
“I understand there is frustration out there and there is an impulse to act. Right now what we need is civility. If you are frustrated with a situation please do not act on your anger,” Scott tweeted.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Gwin was booked into the San Francisco County Jail. Bail for him was set at $2,500, according to FOX 2 San Francisco.
He faces up to six months in jail and a $2,000 fine if convicted.
Michael Lundin and Gabriel Hays of Fox News contributed to this report.
