Teens accused of attacking transgender student in Massachusetts won't be charged with hate crime
GLOUCESTER - Police are now seeking charges against three teenagers accused of beating up a transgender student in Gloucester, Massachusetts three months ago, but they won't be charged with a hate crime.
Gloucester hate crime allegation
Sixteen-year-old Jayden Tkaczyk, who says he's transgender, told WBZ-TV he went to a high school party in the woods at the Goose Cove Reservation on August 30 and was attacked.
Tkaczyk said it started when he and another person exchanged words, then a group of teens jumped on him and beat him. He ended up in the hospital.
"I was terrified. I was running through the woods having no clue what to do. I was calling the police and was I yelling to the police on the phone. I was like 'Help me, help me, I need help. I'm scared,'" Tkaczyk told WBZ in September. "Being bullied throughout your life sucks, but being jumped is even worse."
His mother said her son was targeted because he's transgender.
"Stomping on my son's head while saying that slur is a hate crime," Nicole Tkaczyk told WBZ.
Gloucester police chief Ed Conley assigned a detective specially trained in hate crime investigations to lead the case.
Assault and battery charges
On Friday, Gloucester Police said they would seek assault and battery charges against three boys. Two of them are 17 years old and the third is 16.
But in a statement, Conley said "evidence gathered as part of the investigation did not ultimately support hate crime charges."
"Our department conducted a meticulous, thorough, and compassionate investigation, and the resulting charges are consistent with the evidence," Conley said. "Our thoughts remain with the victim, who suffered significant injuries in this attack."
The three teens, who have not been identified because of their age, will now go before a Clerk Magistrate who will determine if there is probable cause for the charges to move forward.
