Man Seen Hosing Homeless Woman Down In Street Could Face Prison Sentence

Credit: @briochesf/Twitter

In California, a man who was caught hosing a homeless woman may be sentenced to prison.

The owner of Foster-Gwin Art & Antiques in San Francisco, Collier Gwin, was seen on camera hosing a homeless woman down in the middle of the street on Tuesday, January 10, and the video quickly went viral.

Users have called the incident "inhumane," "inexcusable," and "cruel" in the video that was posted to Twitter, which has received an astonishing 13 million views since it was released.

Twitter

Gwin described what happened before he sprayed the woman with water in an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle.

“I said you have to move; I cannot clean the street; move down."

He continued: "She starts screaming belligerent things, spitting, yelling at me... At that point, she was so out of control... I spray her with the hose and say 'Move, move. I will help you."

Twitter

District Attorney Brooke Jenkins released a statement following the San Francisco Police Department's investigation into the incident.

She posted to Twitter: "Following San Francisco Police Department's investigation & reviewing all the evidence provided, my office has issued an arrest warrant for Collier Gwin. Gwin is charged w/ misdemeanor battery for the alleged intentional & unlawful spraying of water on & around a woman experiencing homelessness on 1/9/23."

Jenkins continued: "The alleged battery of an unhoused member of our community is completely unacceptable. Mr. Gwin will face appropriate consequences for his actions."

Jenkins also criticized those who were enforcing their own brand of justice in reference to the public outcry over Gwin's actions.

"Likewise, the vandalism at Foster Gwin gallery is also completely unacceptable and must stop - two wrongs do not make a right," she concluded.

The San Francisco Police Department also issued a press release on the arrest: "On January 18, 2023, at approximately 3:30 p.m. Gwin was arrested on the 700 block of Montgomery Street for the warrant. Gwin was transported to the San Francisco County Jail where he was booked for the arrest warrant on the charge of the battery (242 PC)."

"While an arrest has been made, this remains an open and active investigation," it concluded.

Gwin had first taken a strong stance over the incident.

The gallery owner had responded as follows when The Chronicle inquired about his level of regret for his actions: "You know, spraying her’s not the solution, but spraying her was something that woke her up and that calmed her down.”

"So am I sorry? I’m only sorry that... my way of helping her countlessly has gotten nothing done."

However, he later publicly apologized on a KPIX local radio show, saying: "I'm very, very sorry, I'm not going to defend myself, I'm not going to, because I can't defend that," as per BBC News.”

Gwin could be sentenced to six months in jail and a $2,000 (around £1,622) fine if found guilty.