Physician Held in Attack on Wife’s Boyfriend

A Cerritos physician accused of attacking his estranged wife’s boyfriend with a flower pot in a violent love triangle was ordered held on $1 million bail Wednesday.

At a hearing in Los Cerritos Municipal Court in Bellflower, Deputy Dist. Atty. Mark Vezzani recommended that Dr. Michael Cheeluen Chan, 44, be held without bail because of “continuing attacks” since February on Long Beach lawyer Fred Wong and Chan’s estranged wife, Lily.

Commissioner Leland H. Tipton, who presided at Chan’s arraignment, instead set bail at $1 million. Chan was charged with assault with a deadly weapon, burglary and dissuading a witness from testifying.

According to Vezzani, the decision to file felony charges against Chan came

after Chan burst into the Cerritos home of his estranged wife on Sunday and struck Wong over the head with a flower pot. The lawyer was later treated for a head wound.

The deputy district attorney appointed to prosecute Chan, Joanne Baeza, said that Chan had previously attacked Wong in the attorney’s Long Beach home on Feb. 25, vandalized Wong’s car and attacked Lily Chan on March 6 and attacked Wong on March 20 in Lily Chan’s home.

Charges involving the three previous incidents, including vandalism and battery, were consolidated in a separate misdemeanor case, Baeza said.

Prosecutors said Chan had not been arrested until Wednesday because the previous charges were misdemeanors.