A transgender woman was among three people who were violently attacked in North Philadelphia last week, allegedly by the same man.
As of presstime, the 53-year-old transgender woman remained in Hahnemann University Hospital, where she was admitted in critical condition.
Marcus Jones, 23, was arrested the following day for her attack and attacks on two men. He is charged with attempted murder in connection with the attack on the woman; two counts of robbery, aggravated assault, theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property; and three counts of simple assault and reckless endangerment.
Jones, who did not have any prior arrests, is being held on $500,000 bail. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing at 8 a.m. Sept. 8.
The woman and the suspect were known to one another, and police spokesperson Officer Tanya Little said investigators do not believe Jones targeted her for being transgender.
The incident took place around 1 p.m. Aug. 18 in the 900 block of North Watts Street. Officers responding to a call of an assault found the woman unconscious. Video surveillance later obtained allegedly showed Jones punching and kicking the victim until she was rendered unconscious. He then allegedly stomped repeatedly on her face before fleeing with her purse.
While canvassing the neighborhood the following day for witnesses, officers encountered a man who said he also was attacked by a man fitting the suspect’s description in the woman’s case, and whom he had just seen. The officers tracked Jones down and made the arrest. The second victim also identified a third man Jones had allegedly attacked, whom the officers located in Hahnemann Hospital.
Nellie Fitzpatrick, the city’s LGBT liaison, said even if the woman was not targeted for being trans, the level of violence exhibited in the incident is disturbing.
“Any time any individual is victimized at the level she was, it’s a horrific moment for our city. And it’s especially traumatic for the LGBT community and trans community because yet again a transgender woman of color was attacked and so brutally, brutally injured,” Fitzpatrick said. “All of us here in the Mayor’s Office, and I know in the police department and D.A.’s Office, are praying for her and sending positive thoughts to her and her family because she’s in really bad shape.”
Despite the gravity of the attack, Fitzpatrick noted, the incident did reflect excellent policework and a strong attention to respecting the victim’s gender identity.
“We’re really in a new moment right now. [LGBT Liaison] Deputy Commissioner [Kevin] Bethel and Commissioner [Charles] Ramsey aren’t just excellent leaders within the police department, but they’ve become allies to our community on multiple levels,” she said. “The press release that came out about this did not qualify her as a trans woman or misgender her in any way. It’s quite something to be speaking to police leadership about this investigation and them asking whether or not it’s appropriate to even out that she is trans. The level of protection and respect for an individual who couldn’t give voice to her own identity is truly profound.”