On Sept. 4, Christopher Lamar Price, of North Charleston, surrendered to police, who had put out “Wanted” posters seeking information so they could arrest him.
He has been charged with a misdemeanor count of second-degree assault and battery for punching the woman following an altercation outside of a popular nightclub, reports the Charleston Post and Courier. If convicted, Price could serve up to three years in prison.
Price has also been ordered, upon his release from prison, to stay away from the area around Deco Nightclub and the Charleston Visitor Center parking garage, where the assault occurred.
On Aug. 19, the victim was walking with her boyfriend and her sister to their car after a night out at King Street bars when they encountered a man near Deco Nightclub on Ann Street.
Surveillance video shows the victim’s sister getting into a verbal confrontation with two men, one of whom is believed to be Price.
Police say the two men taunted the transgender victim and her boyfriend, making derogatory comments about their sexual orientation. Price is shown holding up a smartphone and appears to be filming as the victim and her boyfriend pull the sister away from the two men.
Minutes later, as the victim and her companions tried to take an elevator to the parking garage, police say Price kicked the victim’s sister in the stomach. The victim then began confronting Price, at which point, he punched her in the face, knocking her out. Price and his friend fled as the victim’s sister chased them.
Police were called to the crime scene and found the transgender woman lying on the ground, unresponsive. She later awoke and was transported to a local hospital, where she received eight stitches in her cheek and two staples in her scalp, according to an affidavit.
Price appeared on a video screen from Charleston County jail for the bond hearing. He stood in silence as a victim’s advocate read a statement on behalf of the victim. The statement alleged that the altercation was fueled by his “hatred” for members of the LGBTQ community.
The Charleston Police Department says it’s now classifying the crime as bias-motivated, for reporting purposes. Initially, they denied the assault was a potential hate crime, but later amended that designation after learning more details about the incident, as well as receiving pushback from the local LGBTQ community.
On Tuesday, at a meeting with the pro-LGBTQ group Alliance for Full Acceptance, Charleston police apologized for not classifying the crime as bias-motivated, reports local NBC affiliate WCBD News 2.
CPD Chief Luther Reynolds characterized the mistake as an oversight, and other officials within the department apologized for their role in mischaracterizing the nature of the attack.
“When I got the incident report, there was nothing in there that said she was a transgender,” Charleston Francis, the CPD’s public information officer, told the audience at the meeting. “I asked, ‘Do we know that she was assaulted because she was transgender?’ They said no, there’s no indication at this time that she was assaulted because she was transgender. That’s what we had at the time, but once we realized and got additional information, that’s when we put out.”
Depputy Chief Naomi Broughton apologized for only looking at what was written on the incident report and not asking further questions.
South Carolina doesn’t have a hate crime law, meaning there are no extra enhancements, or harsher penalties, that can be doled out if Price is found guilty. However, information about the prevalence of bias crimes is collected by the State Law Enforcement Division and tracked by the FBI.
The FBI has arrested a Texas man for allegedly threatening to carry out a mass shooting at a local Pride event.
Joshua Cole, of Anson, Texas, allegedly posted a Facebook comment earlier this month criticizing the Abilene Pride Alliance for banning weapons and certain bags at its annual indoor festival, held September 20 at the Abilene Convention Center on the same day as the group's Pride parade.
The original poster argued the group could not legally stop people from carrying guns into a city-owned building and shared a screenshot of the event flyer listing the venue and restrictions.
Reports that the person who fatally shot conservative activist Charlie Kirk had left behind bullet casings engraved with phrases espousing "transgender ideology" have been debunked.
The rumor spread quickly after conservative commentator Steven Crowder posted to X on the morning of September 11 -- the day after the shooting -- claiming he had received an email from a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives officer describing such engravings.
Crowder shared what he said was an email from an ATF officer claiming investigators had recovered the weapon used in Kirk's killing, with one spent cartridge in the chamber and three rounds still in the magazine. The email further alleged the cartridges were engraved with "transgender and anti-fascist ideology."
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has begun enforcing a new rule requiring airlines to ignore any "X" gender markers on passports and instead enter either "M" or "F" for all passengers.
Announced in a July 7 bulletin, CBP said the rule stems from an earlier executive order by former President Donald Trump aimed at eliminating recognition of transgender identities. The directive took effect on July 14, with airlines given 90 days to comply before full enforcement.
Now in effect, the rule has sparked widespread concern over how it will be implemented in practice.
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A South Carolina judge has set bail at $75,000 for a 30-year-old man who’s been accused of harassing and knocking out a transgender woman in downtown Charleston earlier this month.
On Sept. 4, Christopher Lamar Price, of North Charleston, surrendered to police, who had put out “Wanted” posters seeking information so they could arrest him.
He has been charged with a misdemeanor count of second-degree assault and battery for punching the woman following an altercation outside of a popular nightclub, reports the Charleston Post and Courier. If convicted, Price could serve up to three years in prison.
Price has also been ordered, upon his release from prison, to stay away from the area around Deco Nightclub and the Charleston Visitor Center parking garage, where the assault occurred.
On Aug. 19, the victim was walking with her boyfriend and her sister to their car after a night out at King Street bars when they encountered a man near Deco Nightclub on Ann Street.
Surveillance video shows the victim’s sister getting into a verbal confrontation with two men, one of whom is believed to be Price.
Police say the two men taunted the transgender victim and her boyfriend, making derogatory comments about their sexual orientation. Price is shown holding up a smartphone and appears to be filming as the victim and her boyfriend pull the sister away from the two men.
Minutes later, as the victim and her companions tried to take an elevator to the parking garage, police say Price kicked the victim’s sister in the stomach. The victim then began confronting Price, at which point, he punched her in the face, knocking her out. Price and his friend fled as the victim’s sister chased them.
Police were called to the crime scene and found the transgender woman lying on the ground, unresponsive. She later awoke and was transported to a local hospital, where she received eight stitches in her cheek and two staples in her scalp, according to an affidavit.
Price appeared on a video screen from Charleston County jail for the bond hearing. He stood in silence as a victim’s advocate read a statement on behalf of the victim. The statement alleged that the altercation was fueled by his “hatred” for members of the LGBTQ community.
The Charleston Police Department says it’s now classifying the crime as bias-motivated, for reporting purposes. Initially, they denied the assault was a potential hate crime, but later amended that designation after learning more details about the incident, as well as receiving pushback from the local LGBTQ community.
On Tuesday, at a meeting with the pro-LGBTQ group Alliance for Full Acceptance, Charleston police apologized for not classifying the crime as bias-motivated, reports local NBC affiliate WCBD News 2.
CPD Chief Luther Reynolds characterized the mistake as an oversight, and other officials within the department apologized for their role in mischaracterizing the nature of the attack.
“When I got the incident report, there was nothing in there that said she was a transgender,” Charleston Francis, the CPD’s public information officer, told the audience at the meeting. “I asked, ‘Do we know that she was assaulted because she was transgender?’ They said no, there’s no indication at this time that she was assaulted because she was transgender. That’s what we had at the time, but once we realized and got additional information, that’s when we put out.”
Depputy Chief Naomi Broughton apologized for only looking at what was written on the incident report and not asking further questions.
South Carolina doesn’t have a hate crime law, meaning there are no extra enhancements, or harsher penalties, that can be doled out if Price is found guilty. However, information about the prevalence of bias crimes is collected by the State Law Enforcement Division and tracked by the FBI.
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