Yn Tran
A man accused of waving a knife at passers-by on the Atlantic City Boardwalk was ordered held in jail this week.
Yn Tran, 31, was arrested last week, after police were called to the Tropicana entrance on the Boardwalk for a shirtless man wielding a steak knife, according to the charges.
Tran already was on court-supervised release in several cases, including a burglary, Casino Control Act violations, trespassing and simple assault, according to information released during his detention hearing.
“It looks as though we have a defendant who was probably high or intoxicated, who more than anything was a nuisance” rather than a risk to the public, defense attorney John Bjorklund said.
“That he’s high and wielding a knife?” Judge Joseph Levin asked.
Bjorklund said that while there may have been cause for concern, no one was injured.
“Based upon my review of his record, it looks as though he’s a Boardwalk person with a problem with drugs or alcohol or both,” the defense attorney said.
He suggested that the outcome of the case could be Recovery Court.
Tran served a 120-day jail sentence last year, and has not been deterred in his criminal activity, Assistant Prosecutor Brooke Hoffner argued.
Levin, who previously released Tran, said that the defendant does present a danger to the community, and has proven he cannot abide by court rules.
“He does what he wants despite the prohibitions,” the judge said.
Tran will remain in the Atlantic County Justice Facility.
