Arrest made after transgender Philadelphia woman beaten inside her home
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Police have made an arrest after a brutal attack on a transgender Philadelphia woman inside her home.
Tymesha Wearing, of the 800 block of South Alden Street, was arrested for her involvement in the assault last month.
Wearing, 34, is facing a number of charges, including ethnic intimidation and aggravated assault.
District Attorney Larry Krasner said the hate crimes statute in the Pa. criminal code does not cover LGTBQ individuals, so prosecutors can only charge ethnic intimidation involving an LGBTQ victim as a summary offense.
The attack happened shortly after 11 p.m. on August 24 in the 1200 block of South 22nd Street in the Point Breeze section of South Philadelphia.
In an interview with Action News, the victim, 34-year-old Kendall Stephens, said she was inside her home with her husband, 12-year-old goddaughter and another child when a loud ruckus erupted outside.
She says she threatened to call 911 if they didn't quiet down and disperse. Stephens says suddenly some of the people in the group began to attack her, part of which was captured on surveillance camera before it was ripped from the wall.
"They called me a tranny. They said, 'You're a man, we're gonna get you.' And they were repeating this all throughout the beating; (they) said that I deserved it," said Stephens.
Police were looking for several individuals in connection with this attack.
Anyone with any information is asked to call police at 215-686-TIPS.
