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Collier Gwin: San Francisco gallery owner who went viral for hosing down homeless woman arrested

'Gwin is charged w/ misdemeanor battery for the alleged intentional & unlawful spraying of water,' San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA: A San Francisco art gallery owner, who went viral a few days ago for hosing down a homeless woman, has reportedly been arrested. Collier Gwin owns Foster Gwin Gallery, which has seen David Rockefeller and Arnold Schwarzenegger as its clients. But now, he’s facing jail time.

San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins took to Twitter on Wednesday, January 18, to share that her office had pressed charges against Gwin. She posted, “Following @SFPD '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 1/9/22.”

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In another tweet, Jenkins added, “The alleged battery of an unhoused member of our community is completely unacceptable. Mr. Gwin will face appropriate consequences for his actions. Likewise, the vandalism at Foster Gwin gallery is also completely unacceptable and must stop - two wrongs do not make a right.”

Earlier, Gwin had spoken with ABC7 News, "I totally understand what an awful thing that is to do, but I also understand what an awful thing it is to leave her on the streets." He then went on to claim that he had helped the homeless person in the past and also tried contacting authorities. The owner added, "We called the police. There must be at least 25 calls to police. It’s two days in a homeless shelter, it’s two days in jail, and then they drop them right back on the street."

If found guilty of the charges, the man could be sent behind bars for up to six months and also has to pay $2,000 as a fine, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Earlier, Gwin attracted a lot of criticism for his alleged action on Twitter with a user saying, “It’s beyond cruel. But broken city governments that refuse to truly address the homeless problem are just as cruel. These people need. Help. They need services. Shelter. Drug, psych, and alcohol treatment. Citizens need to hold city reps accountable until there is real change.”

Another user shared, “This just breaks my heart. People wonder why I’ve lost faith in humanity.” The third user added, “This is messed up on so many levels. both parties need help from the city, but where’s the city in all of this? the neglect is tearing everyone apart and is increasing tensions between everyone.”

Meanwhile, Jenkins also received hatred from people after issuing the warrant. A critic said, “You only decided this because you're a radical liberal who hates cops.” The second one tweeted, “The woman was making a mess but u keep calling the cops. Sorry it isn't working fast enough 4 u but u aren't allowed to assault someone. U have to let legal system handle it. If ur that bothered.... MOVE.”

The third one stated, “U are worse than chesa, A LAW ABIDING/BUSINESS OWNER SAN FRANCISCO CITIZEN GETS ARRESTED FOR TRYING TO KEEP HIS BUSINESS CLEAN OF THE FILTH THIS CITY CONTINUES TO ALLOW AND ENCOURAGE #impeachbrookejenkins #trash.” The fourth one added, “Guys, don't you all know? It's about the money. You can't get any money from a homeless bum, so you go after the people that want them gone until they become a homeless bum.”

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.