Brian Chin, a 32-year-old landlord from New York City, was arrested after defending himself against a homeless man who attacked him with a wooden bat. Chin was charged with second and third-degree assault and spent 20 hours in jail. He believes these charges are unjustified.
Surveillance footage from outside Chin’s apartment on Chrystie Street in the Lower East Side shows him trying to help the homeless man, who appeared to be intoxicated, near the Grand Street subway station. The man woke up and attacked Chin with a piece of plywood with nails. Chin managed to grab the wood away from the man.
When the police arrived, they arrested Chin. He says this has disrupted his participation in a Harvard fellowship program and that the NYPD is targeting the wrong man.
Footage obtained by DailyMail.com shows the homeless man causing chaos, banging a chair around, and sending pieces flying. He later leaned over newspaper boxes, knocking one over and injuring himself against a subway gate in front of the police officers.
Chin, who is known for helping those in need, said it took over an hour for the police to respond. He went to the 5th Precinct on his own and was arrested there. After being taken to Central Booking, he spent 20 hours waiting to be released on his own recognizance. Without the money for a private lawyer, Chin hopes the DA’s Office will review the surveillance footage showing his actions were in self-defense.
