Dallas police investigating alleged attack on transgender woman as possible hate crime

Police in Dallas are investigating a potential hate crime after a transgender woman was allegedly attacked by a group of men.

The woman, identified as Muhlaysia Booker, told police that the incident occurred near an apartment complex after a minor traffic accident, Dallas’s WFAA News reported.

“The Department is investigating this offense and reviewing all available evidence to determine if it will be classified as a hate crime,” police said in a statement.

{mosads}Video taken of the Friday assault reportedly shows a group of people surrounding Booker, punching and kicking her repeatedly after she falls to the ground.

Booker was treated for injuries, including facial fractures and an arm injury, at a Dallas-area hospital, a family member told WFAA.

According to a statement from police, Booker said members of the crowd used homophobic slurs.

Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings said in a statement that he saw the video and is “extremely angry about what appears to be mob violence against this woman.”

“I am in contact with the chief and she assured me that the Dallas Police Department is fully investigating, including the possibility that this was a hate crime,” Rawlings said. “Those who did this do not represent how Dallasites feel about our thriving LGBTQ community. We will not stand for this kind of behavior.”

The alleged attack comes amid heightened national awareness of violence targeting transgender people. In 2018, at least 26 transgender people were fatally shot or killed violently, according to data from LGBTQ advocacy group the Human Rights Campaign.