Amidst cheers and applause, Chen and two employees, Qing Li and Jie Chen, were cleared of assaulting and forcibly confining Anthony Bennett, a 52-year-old drug addict with a long record for petty crime. They chased, bound and detained Mr. Bennett in a van after he stole plants from the Lucky Moose in May of 2009.
More here: Shopkeeper learns his lesson in acquittal. Considering the community outcry over this case, and all the vocal support Chen had in his corner, I don't know what would have happened if Chinatown's vigilante grocer had been found guilty.
Chen has been called both a vigilante and a people's champion. He sees himself just as the hard-working owner of the Lucky Moose Food Market.
This decision was seen as a victory not only for Chen but for the Chinese Canadian community, whose members say they feel powerless to stop shoplifting in Chinatown.
"He is a hero to our community," said Peter Lin, vice-president of the Canada Confederation of Fujian Associations.
Lin said many shop owners report slow police response times, and others don't even call police when thefts occur.
Chen and two employees were accused of applying excessive force in chasing, tying up and throwing serial shoplifter Anthony Bennett into a delivery van in May 2009, after the thief had shoplifted some items and then returned an hour later.
Meanwhile, Chen's store still has to deal with shoplifters: For David Chen, the shoplifters keep on coming. Thievin' suckas better recognize, this is pretty much the last place you want to steal from.
