A man who went viral for hosing down a homeless woman on a public street on Monday has since reacted to his newfound fame on social media after people were determined to track down his information. In the video clip, Collier Gwin can be seen nonchalantly spraying the homeless woman with a hose in San Francisco, California while she yells, “Help me!”
According to reports, the incident occurred outside of Barbarossa Lounge, which issued a statement shortly after, making it clear that Collier was in no way associated with their business. Now, in an interview with San Francisco Chronicle, Collier, who’s an art gallery owner, admits that it was in fact him who sprayed the woman down, claiming that he was trying to help her move since he had repeatedly told her to sit elsewhere.
FOUND HIM! Why would an Art Gallery owner think it’s okay to hose down a homeless woman? pic.twitter.com/cX8tg9F1xa
— TizzyEnt (@TizzyEnt) January 10, 2023
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“I said you have to move; I cannot clean the street; move down,” he told the publication. “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’.” When asked whether he had any regrets about his actions, he said that while using a hose wasn’t the solution, it “woke her up and that calmed her down.”
It’s unclear at this time whether Collier could potentially be charged for the senseless act after forcing the woman to leave by hosing her with high water pressure. People on social media have since called for police to arrest him, with one user saying it should be illegal to violate a homeless person’s space in that manner.
But other people begged to differ on Twitter, with one writing, “This likely wasn’t his first attempt at removing her, she still refused after the hose. If she’s uncooperative and affecting my business than I would have taken it into my own hands too.”
I just went down and confronted him during an interview with the chronicle pic.twitter.com/BMuQMJaoHl
— Darren Mckeeman 🐀 (@tjcrowley) January 10, 2023
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Another appeared to agree with Collier’s actions, tweeting, “I see no problem. Grab her things and go. Guarantee by her response to him spraying her she was asked many times to move prior. Loitering is not a right. Homeless or not. And getting sprayed with a hose is not assault. Otherwise, my kids would have me in jail every summer!”