By The newspaper
31 Oct 2023, 01:29 AM EDT
Michael Wen was arrested on suspicion of pointing a firearm at a 6-year-old boy after he mistakenly left Halloween candy on the porch of his Long Island (NY) home.
Nassau County police said Wen, 43, was accused of pointing a gun at the boy’s head as he tried to retrieve a bag of candy his sister may have left on the wrong porch Saturday night at the home. of the suspect.
“The boy is simply traumatized,” a source told Fox News on Sunday. “Last night she couldn’t sleep. “It was very scary.”
The boy’s mother apparently mistakenly took her children and nephew to Wen’s residence on Rockcrest Road in Manhasset, thinking someone else lived there, to participate in a Halloween tradition known as “boo,” in the one where “you leave an anonymous bag of gifts on someone’s doorstep.”
Thinking his sister had made a mistake, the 6-year-old walked to Wen’s porch to retrieve the bag of gifts. That’s when, according to police, the suspect pulled out the gun and yelled an insult to get the minor to leave his property.
Wen now faces charges including endangering the welfare of a minor, to which he has pleaded “not guilty.” His lawyer, William Zou, said he had known Wen for two decades and called the incident a misunderstanding. He said his client, a married man and loving father, has been nervous.
He also shared surveillance videos showing two strangers knocking on his door the night before. “Her family was terrified by these beatings. They have three minor children and they were worried that someone might break in,” Zou said. “He is sorry for what happened.”
Authorities said all of Wen’s guns were confiscated, his license was suspended and he was issued a protective order. All charges are mere accusations and those charged are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.