Washington D.C. police are investigating an attack on an LGBTQ center.
As WJLA reports, a masked man entered the Casa Ruby LGBTQ Community Center at Georgia Avenue in North Washington on Tuesday afternoon. The man punched a female transgender staff member before pepper-spraying her and running back out.
The moment was filmed on the center’s surveillance camera (which was installed after a nearly identical incident happened back in March).
Casa Ruby’s executive director Ruby Corado talked to the Washington Blade about the incident and the 20-year-old who was attacked at the scene.
“She was sprayed all over with the mace,” said Corado, who also added that the attacker sprayed the mace in other parts of the Casa Ruby offices before running out of the office.
The woman who was pepper-sprayed was quickly taken to a hospital for treatment.
According to a report filed by the Metropolitan Police Department, police then began treating this attack as a burglary and a hate crime as they started their investigation and try to find the attacker.
The report also includes that a Third District Police detective has been notified of the incident.
Luckily, a witness came forward to say they saw the attacker “running out of the building” and “jumping into a car on the 700 block of Gresham Street, N.W. and heading westbound in that block.”
After that, the police were quick to arrest a suspect. D.C. resident Andrew Crook was arrested in connection to the attack and charged with misdemeanor assault and felony destruction of property for smashing a glass door to get inside the center.
Corado says that she hopes the suspect gets his justice as this attack was cruel.
“When you come in an establishment and attack people they just feel like they’re so powerful they can beat somebody up and get away with it,” Corado said. “That’s the kind of mentality and it’s so wrong.”
