Montrose Landlord Detained After Pulling Gun on Homeless Men Near Middle School

A Montrose property owner found herself in handcuffs on Westheimer Road after she pulled a gun on homeless men camped outside a vacant building she owns, a confrontation that unfolded within sight of a middle school campus. Anastasia Malavansos was detained but not charged with a crime following the encounter, which she says began after a tenant warned her that three men were sleeping outside the property.

Malavansos owns the vacant building at 1800 Westheimer, along with a nearby eye care center at 1806 Westheimer, according to FOX 26 Houston. She told the station she was on her way to check on the vacant property after her tenant's alert when she called 311 to report the men camped outside. By the time she arrived, according to the station's report, she was confronting the men directly, and she has said she carried a gun during that confrontation — one she insists was not loaded.

A Disturbance Call Near School Grounds

The confrontation drew attention fast. HISD police contacted Houston police about a disturbance involving a woman reportedly waving a gun near Lanier Middle School, the outlet reported. Houston police responded and detained Malavansos, though she was not charged with a crime in connection with the incident.

The location matters here. Lanier Middle School, the HISD campus at 2600 Woodhead Street serving grades six through eight, sits roughly 0.2 to 0.3 miles from the commercial stretch of the 1800 block of Westheimer, per property listings cited by Zillow. Malavansos's properties sit across the street from the school, according to the same report from the station's account of the incident.

What Texas Law Says About Guns and Property Defense

The proximity to a school campus, combined with the act of pointing a firearm at another person, raises distinct legal questions under Texas law even though no charges followed this particular encounter. Under Texas Penal Code § 22.05, pointing a firearm at someone — even one that is unloaded — can constitute Class A misdemeanor deadly conduct, because state law presumes recklessness and imminent danger whenever a weapon is aimed at a person, according to the Doug Murphy Law Firm.

Property owners in Texas are allowed to use non-deadly force to stop a trespass, but the law draws a hard line when it comes to deadly force or the threat of it. Under Penal Code §§ 9.41 and 9.42, using or threatening deadly force to defend land is generally restricted to situations involving nighttime burglary, theft, arson, or robbery, per legal guidance from Concealedcarry-ed.com. Separately, possessing a firearm on the premises of a public school is generally a third-degree felony under § 46.03, while § 46.11 enhances penalties for weapon offenses committed within 300 feet of a school zone, according to Deandra Grant Law.

A Landlord's Long Frustration With Vacancy and Crime

Malavansos said she has tried to lease the vacant building for more than a year, and that homeless people camping at the property have made that effort harder. She told the station she believes she has a right to defend her property, and noted she has never received a speeding ticket — a detail she offered, per her account, to underscore her general law-abiding record. She said she plans to raise the issue of homelessness near her properties directly with Mayor John Whitmire and Houston City Council.

This isn't the first time Malavansos has spoken publicly about frustration with conditions in Montrose. In February 2024, she opposed the revival of the Montrose Management District, telling Houston Landing that small business landlords along Westheimer Road saw no reduction in local crime despite mandatory special tax assessments.

The Building's History and the City's Wider Homelessness Struggle

The vacant building at the center of the dispute has its own history in the neighborhood. It was once known as the Hollyfield Laundry building before being repurposed for architectural antiques and retail businesses, according to historical background compiled by HAIF, reflecting the kind of older commercial structure common along that stretch of Westheimer.

The incident lands amid ongoing citywide strain over homelessness policy. Houston's Point-in-Time survey, released in June by the Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris County, counted 3,321 people experiencing homelessness across Harris, Fort Bend, and Montgomery counties — essentially flat compared to 3,325 the year before. During 2025, the region's homeless response network, known as The Way Home, served 35,988 unique clients and placed 2,135 households into permanent housing, per the coalition's count.

Those figures come as City Hall grapples with funding gaps in its own homelessness strategy. Hoodline previously reported a $40 million shortfall in Mayor Whitmire's projected $70 million annual homeless initiative, after the city collected roughly $31 million from public and transit partners in the program's first year. The city also approved a $16 million facility on Emancipation Avenue to serve as a low-barrier shelter hub, and in July 2025 the City Council voted to expand its Civility Ordinance restricting sitting, lying down, or placing belongings on sidewalks in designated commercial districts.