UPDATE | The two individuals, one male and one female, who stabbed a transgender woman in Long Beach last month have been charged with hate enhancements, according to the Long Beach Police Department (LBPD).
Sgt. Bradley Johnson of the LBPD said Tishia Gray, 28, of Long Beach and Davon Lamar Ellout, 22, were charged with assault with a deadly weapon likely to cause great bodily injury, along with hate crime enhancements.
Last week, Gray pled guilty and was sentenced to three years of prison time, while Ellout pled guilty and was sentenced to four years’ time.
This morning, a third suspect, Glyness Chinique Felton, 34, was charged with attempted murder and two separate hate crime allegations, according to Johnson. She pled not guilty, according to the District Attorney’s office. She is scheduled to return to court for a preliminary hearing on April 20 in Long Beach. She faces a maximum possible sentence of life in state prison, if convicted as charged.
According to the DA, the a transgender woman had been walking on March 20 when Felton, Gray and Ellout reportedly began yelling derogatory remarks at her. The suspects then allegedly followed the victim into a store, where Gray punched the victim, followed by Felton pulling out a knife to stab the victim, while Gray and Ellout continued to beat her, according to prosecutors.
Last month’s hate crime was just one incident of alleged discrimination in Long Beach, along with a transgender male being denied entrance into the “men only” Hawleywood’s Barber Shop on Retro Row.
The LGBTQ Center of Long Beach called attention to the incidents, noting that the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations 2014 Hate Crime Report found 15 gender-based hate crimes reported to their agency, with 93 percent violent in nature.
“Simply walking down the street or entering a store should not lead to violence in our community or any community,” said The Center’s Executive Director Porter Gilberg in a statement. “Unfortunately transgender people continue to experience alarming rates of violence in the County and this hate crime a wakeup call for Long Beach to look at what we can be doing better to protect the safety of our transgender community.”
This report was updated on 04/14/16 at 5:39PM with additional details on Felton’s arraignment, courtesy of the District Attorney’s office.
PREVIOUSLY: Two Arrested Following Stabbing of Transgender Woman in Long Beach
On 03/21/16 at 12:35PM | Two women were arrested in connection to the stabbing of a transgender woman in Long Beach Sunday night, according to the Long Beach Police Department (LBPD).
Police were dispatched to Locust Avenue and Pacific Coast Highway at 7:30PM on Sunday, March 20 regarding a stabbing call, LBPD spokesman Brad Johnson said.
Arriving officers found the transgender adult suffering from a non-life-threatening injury, he added.
“The victim was involved in a dispute with several female and male adults, before being stabbed,” said Johnson.
Long Beach Fire Department (LBFD) personnel transported the victim to a local hospital in stable condition.
Police arrested two female suspects and booked them into the Long Beach City Jail.
Detectives are investigating the incident as possibly a hate crime “but that determination has not been met yet,” Johnson said.
This story was updated at 1:13PM with information on the incident being investigated as possibly a hate crime.
This report was updated on 04/14/16 at 12:34PM, correcting the gender of the transgender woman with new information from The LGBTQ Center of Long Beach.
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