A 74-year-old property owner in Houston's Montrose area says her frustration with homeless people on her property boiled over into an act that got her handcuffed and put in the back of a patrol car. According to FOX 26, Anastasia Malvinasso says she pulled a gun on homeless people, and it landed her in a great deal of trouble.
By her own account, it was completely out of character. Malvinasso told FOX 26 she has never even had a speeding ticket before, but on August 12 she found herself handcuffed and on the ground after pulling a gun on homeless people who were on her property.
Her dispute is rooted in two properties she owns on Westheimer. According to FOX 26, one of them, at 1800, is vacant, while the other, at 1806, is a daycare center. Malvinasso says she has been trying to lease the vacant building for more than a year, but that homeless people camp out there, making it difficult to rent.
She described going to the property that day expecting help. Malvinasso said she called 311 on the way over so that police would meet her there, and that three homeless men were camped out at the adjacent building. Explaining her decision to bring a gun, she said she was fed up and did not know what else to do, adding that the property is a big part of her income as a retiree.
The situation quickly drew police. According to FOX 26, there is a school across the street, and HISD police reported a disturbance call describing a female pointing a gun at people, which brought officers to the scene where she was detained.
In the end, the confrontation did not lead to criminal charges. FOX 26 reports that no one wanted to press charges, so Malvinasso was released. She said the gun was not loaded, though the police did not know that at the time, and acknowledged that officers had a duty to respond to a report of someone waving a gun.
Despite the arrest, Malvinasso was unrepentant. Asked whether she would do it again knowing she could be handcuffed, she said yes, saying she wanted to defend her property. According to FOX 26, she now plans to go to a city council meeting to lay out the issues she has been having with homeless people on her property.