Dallas police have arrested 29-year-old Edward Thomas in the brutal beating of a transgender woman, which is being classified as a hate crime.
According to the victim, Muhlaysia Booker, the attack happened during the day after a minor traffic accident near an apartment complex. The incident also caught on cell phone video, as it occurred in front of a crowd of people.
In the video, Booker is seen being viciously punched by one man and kicked by other men from the crowd. She was reportedly beaten unconscious while the crowd looked on before several women eventually carried the victim’s body to safety.
Dallas Mayor Michael Rawlings said he is “extremely angry about what appears to be mob violence against this woman,” as he added that those responsible don’t represent how most Dallas residents feel about the “thriving LGBTQ community.”
Booker is now at home recovering after suffering a facial fracture and has her right arm in a sling. According to USA Today, at least 26 transgender people were fatally shot or violently killed nationwide last year, the majority of whom were black transgender women.
In the meantime, authorities are continuing to canvas the neighborhood where it happened for other participants and witnesses.
