Photos Released Of Suspects In 9th Street Transgender Victim Attack
Police have released photos of three suspects who they say are involved in an incident which took place on Friday, May 13.
According to the cops, a 32-year old transgender individual was a victim of a brutal attack by at least three suspects.
Cops say the victim was walking north on 7th Avenue near 8th Street at approximately 11:10am when the victim made eye contact with a group of five men walking in the opposite direction. [Please note exact time and location have been updated by the police.]
One of the suspects shouted, “What are you looking at, you white faggot?” and the victim was then punched repeatedly in the head and face, according to the police. At least three of the five suspects were engaged in the violent act.
Police describe one of the male suspects as having an unknown tattoo under his eye. That suspect punched the victim in the face and the other two suspects punched and pulled the victims hair. The individuals then fled the location in an unknown direction.
The victim reportedly walked to Methodist Hospital to get treated for wounds sustained in the attack.
The three male suspects are described as:
Male, black, wearing gray Nike shirt with red sleeves
Male, black, bald head, wearing blue jean jacket and eyeglasses
Male, black, wearing dark colored jacket with a royal blue Adidas Tee Shirt
In addition, police say the three suspects are all in their late teens or early 20s.
A statement was released last Thursday by Council Member Brad Lander, Council Member Carlos Menchaca, Floyd Rumohr, Executive Director of Brooklyn Community Pride Center, Lambda Independent Democrats of Brooklyn, and Brooklyn Pride, Inc. who condemned the crime:
“Our community is both outraged and deeply saddened to see a hate-fueled anti-LGBTQ attack in our own backyard, and our hearts go out to the individual who was so brutally attacked in broad daylight on 7th Avenue and 9th Street in Park Slope last Friday. All New Yorkers, of all gender-identities, have the right to express themselves and we refuse to let such horrific intolerance occur on our streets.”
According to a police spokesperson, cops are investigating and have not yet determined whether they consider the incident a bias crime.
Cops say no arrests have been made at this time.
Several news outlets have reported the victim is a transgender woman. This is in conflict with the police report which describes the victim as a transgender man. We cannot confirm this information with clarity at this moment.
According to a police spokesperson who we contacted at this morning, categorizing the event as a bias crime is “under consideration.” Therefore, we cannot officially call this event a bias crime at the time of this article’s publication.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website or by texting your tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577. Police say all calls are confidential.