A video showing a transgender woman
being viciously beaten at a Maryland McDonald's went viral on Friday.
In the three-minute video, a woman and
a 14-year-old girl are seen repeatedly kicking, punching, and
dragging the victim, a 22-year-old transgender woman, in a suburban
Baltimore McDonald's. One employee and a patron attempt to
intervene, but most of the witnesses stand idly by and several men
can be heard laughing in the background.
The video was taken down from YouTube
by site administrators, who said it violated the site's policies, but
returned on several other sites, including the popular Drudge Report
and World
Star Hip Hop.
The attack took place on April 18,
police said. Both suspects are being prosecuted by police.
McDonald's called the attack shocking.
“We are shocked by the video from a
Baltimore franchised restaurant showing an assault,” the fast food
giant said in a statement. “This incident is unacceptable,
disturbing and troubling. McDonald's strives to be a safe, welcoming
environment for everyone who visits.”
Gay rights group Equality Maryland has
called on officials to investigate the case as a hate crime.
“It does appear that the victim was a
transgender woman, and she was brutalized while people stood by and
watched,” said the group's Lisa Polyak. “There's no excuse for
that violence under any circumstance, but we would encourage police
to investigate as a hate crime.”
According to the police report, the
suspects said the fight was “over using a bathroom.”