- Michael Yifan Wen, 43, is accused of pointing a gun at a six-year-old boy in Manhasset, New York on Saturday
- The little boy had gone to pick up a bag of candy that he had left on the wrong porch
- Wen was arrested and charged with second-degree menacing and endangering the welfare of a child
A Long Island man has been arrested after allegedly pointing a gun at a six-year-old boy’s head when the child accidentally left a bag of Halloween candy on his porch.
The terrifying incident happened around 7:30 PM on Saturday in Manhasset, New York, when the boy ran back to retrieve the bag he and his sister had left at the wrong address.
Michael Yifan Wen, 43, is accused of opening his front door and pointing a black gun at the child’s head, telling the little boy to “get the hell off my property!”
According to court documents, Wen said, “Today I just wanted to scare them.”
He was later seen on camera running out of the police station and into a waiting black car after being charged.
Michael Yifan Wen (pictured) was arrested after pointing his black gun at the head of a six-year-old standing on his porch on Long Island. The boy picked up a Halloween goodie bag
The unknown little boy and his sister initially left a Halloween candy bag at Wen’s house, thinking it was their friend’s house. They quickly realized this was not the case and headed back
The boy’s mother called the police and Wen was arrested without incident. He was charged with second-degree menacing and endangering the welfare of a child.
On Saturday, the unidentified mother, 42, had taken her two sons, daughter and nephew to a friend’s house to drop off a bag of sweets.
The mother’s daughter, 10, and son, 6, walked to the door of the enormous house they thought belonged to their friend and rang the doorbell.
They quickly realized this was the wrong address and decided to drive back to pick up the candy bag.
Wen’s lawyer William
“His three children were terrified and afraid that someone was trying to break down their door and break in,” Zou said.
The attorney also revealed that the night before Wen pointed a gun at the young boy, two people knocked on the family’s door and walked away.
Unlike this case, in the previous cases Wen’s attorney referred to, there were no more candy left on the sidewalk.
Parents in the area said many children took part in ‘ghosting’, which involves dropping sweets at friends’ homes.
A neighbor told me CBS News: ‘Ghosting is actually similar to Ding Dong Ditch.’
Wen ran out of the police station (pictured) after being arrested and charged with second-degree menacing and endangering the welfare of a child
Wen (center) was arraigned in First District Court in Hempstead on Sunday morning and is expected back in court on November 13
The mother of the unidentified victim said her son was “afraid for his life” after Wen pointed the gun at him.
Wen’s lawyer said what happened was “completely a misunderstanding and a mistake.”
Neighbors in the area told us ABC-7 how they felt about the scary incident.
“There’s no reason to point a gun in a six-year-old’s face,” said one.
Another neighbor said: ‘It’s terrible. The question is: what happens if it is your child? How would you feel?’
Wen was arraigned in First District Court in Hempstead on Sunday morning and is expected back in court on November 13.
His gun license was also revoked due to the incident and he will have to undergo a court-ordered mental health and anger management evaluation, according to ABC 7.
DailyMail.com contacted Nassau County police.