Trans woman assaulted, stabbed by gang in DC laundromat
Victim was left bleeding profusely after she was surrounded by people and stabbed in the head
D.C. police are investigating a possible hate crime after a transgender woman was stabbed in the head in a laundromat.
The attack took place at Capital Laundry Mat on Benning Road NE, on Sunday, June 6, FOX 5 DC reports.
Video of the attack was posted to social media, and shows three people — a man and two women — surrounding the victim and punching and hitting her as they slam her against one of the machines.
One of the attackers reportedly then stabs the victim in the head, causing her to bleed profusely.
The suspects quickly disperse after the victim begins to bleed, with one of the women walking over to her laundry and grabbing it before fleeing the scene.
Meanwhile, the victim can be seen at the back of the store, clutching her head while blood continues to pour onto the floor.
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After police arrived, the victim told them that she had been stabbed in the head, and said that her attackers had used anti-LGBTQ slurs while they assaulted her.
The Metropolitan Police Department is now investigating whether the attack was a hate crime, which would add additional bias enhancements to any charges filed.
According to FOX 5 DC, police data shows that there were 87 hate or bias incidents against LGBTQ people in the District in 2019, with that figure dropping to 65 in 2020.
Last year was the most violent on record for transgender people, with the Human Rights Campaign documenting 44 fatal incidents involving transgender and gender-nonconforming people, the majority of them transgender women of color.
So far this year, at least 28 transgender or gender non-conforming people have been fatally shot or killed by other violent means, with the organization noting, “We say at least because too often these stories go unreported — or misreported.”
Related: Two North Carolina men charged in hotel room slayings of transgender women
Earlier this year, President Joe Biden recognized the epidemic of violence against transgender women during his statement recognizing International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia.
“Both COVID-19 and rising authoritarianism around the world continue to widen economic, social, and safety gaps for LGBTQI+ people — and an epidemic of violence still rages, with a particular impact on the transgender community, specifically transgender women and girls of color,” Biden said.
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