A South Bay man frustrated with a homeless man on his property says he decided to do what the City of San Jose wouldn't -- confront the issue head on.
That confrontation landed him in jail and can now cost him his job.
The conflict is in a creek bed, where the homeowner's property is near a homeless camp. After the confrontation, the homeless camp called police and claimed the homeowner pull out a gun -- a claim he denies.
"I found homeless people sleeping on the porch, as well as using our chargers, charing their phones in front of our house," homeowner Tien Dang said.
Residents claimed the homeless used the homeowners' water supply and siphoned power. In addition, all their cars were broken into across the street a couple of weeks ago.
Residents said they called the city for help, but nothing happened.
One neighbor went to confront the homeless over the weekend. Over the phone, the man told NBC Bay Area the homeless called police during the confrontation, claiming he pulled a gun on them. It's a claim the homeowner denies
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The homeowner, who does not want to be identified, said he spent the night in jail, with charges pending. Neighbors witnessed the police action.
"The police actually pulled a gun to the resident," homeowner Erin Chen said. "And it's not fair. And the rest of us here, we pay property taxes."
The arrested homeowner conceded to NBC Bay Area that he owns a gun, but he denies pulling it on the homeless. The man's job depends on a security clearance, and he worries a gun charge will cost him his livelihood.
Police said they need more information on the case so they can look up the arrest log. But the homeowner has hired a lawyer and is not returning calls for comment. The District Attorney's Office said it does not have the file yet.
