This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/15/us/transgender-woman-dallas.html

The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 2 Version 3
Dallas Man Charged in ‘Mob Violence’ Against Transgender Woman In Attack on Transgender Woman, Dallas Man Was Offered $200, Police Say
(about 5 hours later)
A man has been charged with aggravated assault for allegedly beating up a transgender woman in an attack of “mob violence” in Dallas that is being investigated as a possible hate crime, the authorities said. A Dallas man was offered $200 to beat up a transgender woman in what the mayor called an attack of “mob violence,” according to court records released Monday.
The man, Edward Thomas, 29, was arrested late on Sunday, the department said in a statement. Mr. Thomas was allegedly among a group of people shown in a video assaulting the woman, whom the police did not identify, during the attack on Friday. The woman was seriously injured and taken to the hospital, the police said. The man, Edward Thomas, 29, was arrested late Sunday and charged with aggravated assault with serious bodily injury, the Dallas Police Department said.
The woman had been driving when she was involved in a minor traffic accident in the parking lot of an apartment complex in Dallas, the police said. She and Mr. Thomas started to argue, and then Mr. Thomas “began to physically assault the victim,” the police said. Other suspects joined in the assault, which was “being flagged as a hate crime,” according to the police. At a news conference on Monday, Lt. Vincent Weddington said that the episode, which took place following an automobile accident in the parking lot of an apartment complex, was being investigated as a possible hate crime and that more arrests were likely.
A video shows Mr. Thomas allegedly repeatedly punching the woman while she was on the ground, and as she tried, bent over, to get away, recordings posted on Facebook and WFAA, an ABC affiliate, showed. Other men in the crowd kicked her, before a group of women helped her to get away. A video of the episode showed a man later identified by the authorities as Mr. Thomas repeatedly punching a woman on the ground as she struggled. Other men in the crowd kicked her, before a group of women helped her to get away.
The attack happened between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m., but officers did not interview the woman until about 11:20 p.m. when they were called to the hospital where she was being treated. “The victim stated that the suspects used homophobic slurs during the assault,” the statement said. The police declined on Monday to provide further information or details about the possible hate crime investigation. The video “shocks the conscience,” Lieutenant Weddington said. “This is being taken very seriously in our department.”
Mr. Thomas was being held in jail on Monday on a charge of aggravated assault with serious bodily injury, according to county inmate records. He appeared in court on Monday to hear the charge and is being held on $75,000 bond, Judge Lisa Bronchetti said. It was not immediately clear whether he had a lawyer. Before approaching the woman, a voice on the video is heard telling Mr. Thomas that he would receive $200 to beat her up and that “the money was in his pocket,” according to a police affidavit for an arrest warrant.
WFAA quoted an unidentified family member as saying the woman was treated for facial injuries. A relative told the NBC Dallas-Fort Worth station that she had been attacked before. The police said the victim, who uses the name Muhlaysia Booker, was hospitalized after sustaining a concussion and a fractured wrist in the beating.
Attacks on transgender people have been rising, according to advocacy groups. At least 26 transgender people were killed last year, most of them black transgender women, according to the Human Rights Campaign, an advocacy group. The episode began on Friday afternoon, when Ms. Booker, who was driving a black S.U.V., backed into a car in the parking lot, according to the affidavit. The car’s driver said he tried to run her S.U.V. off the road and pulled a gun on Ms. Booker after she tried to flee.
Mr. Thomas was part of a large crowd that had gathered in the parking lot, according to the affidavit. The video, according to the police, shows Mr. Thomas’s shadow pulling on gloves before hitting Ms. Booker with his fists.
According to the police, people in the crowd shouted homophobic slurs during the beating.
On Sunday night, Mr. Thomas flagged down an officer at a gas station about an unrelated matter. The officer later recognized Mr. Thomas from the video, leading to his arrest.
Mr. Thomas admitted to the beating, but denied saying anything “derogatory,” according to the affidavit.
On Monday, Mr. Thomas was ordered held in jail with bail set at $75,000. It was not immediately clear whether he had a lawyer.
Attacks on transgender people have been rising, according to advocacy groups. At least 26 transgender people were killed in the United States last year, most of them black transgender women, according to the Human Rights Campaign, an advocacy group.
In 2017, that number was 29, the most ever recorded, the group said.In 2017, that number was 29, the most ever recorded, the group said.
Mayor Mike Rawlings of Dallas said in a statement after the attack that he was “extremely angry about what appears to be mob violence against this woman.”Mayor Mike Rawlings of Dallas said in a statement after the attack that he was “extremely angry about what appears to be mob violence against this woman.”
“Those who did this do not represent how Dallasites feel about our thriving L.G.B.T.Q. community,” he said. “We will not stand for this kind of behavior.“Those who did this do not represent how Dallasites feel about our thriving L.G.B.T.Q. community,” he said. “We will not stand for this kind of behavior.