By LOU CHIBBARO JR, Washington Blade
Nov 11 2009, 12:23 PM |
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Three men have been charged with attempted murder and committing a hate-related assault in Wheaton, Md., last month after police said they allegedly struck two women and a man with rocks and bottles while calling them “faggots” and “lesbians.”
A statement released Monday by Montgomery County police says the incident took place about 2:30 a.m. on Oct. 25 near the 2600 block of Weisman Road in Wheaton. Police identified the victims as a 30-year-old Wheaton woman, a 24-year-old Silver Spring woman, and a 24-year-old Silver Spring man. The statement says the man had been dressed as a woman at the time of the incident. It was not immediately clear if the male victim is transgender.
“All three victims were struck by rocks and bottles,” the statement says. The 30-year-old female victim sustained “life-threatening injuries” when she was struck on the forehead by a rock,” the police statement says.
Police have said she has since been released from an area hospital but is expected to require future surgery to treat a brain injury. Police said the other two victims sustained minor injuries and were not hospitalized.
Based on information provided by witnesses, police said they identified and arrested on Oct. 28 Cinder Tobar-Campos, 23, of Montgomery Village; and Alexander Mendoza, 30, of Hyattsville in connection with the incident. Police said that on Nov. 6 they apprehended Felix Arevalo Cantarero, 24, of Wheaton, in connection with the incident.
All three were charged with attempted murder, conspiracy to commit attempted murder, and several assault related charges. Police said they also charged each of the men with three counts of “committing a crime by assaulting the victim because of their sexual orientation.”
The three arrested men were being held this week without bond. The Washington Post reported that U.S. immigration officials have placed “detainers” on the three men, who police say were born in El Salvador, indicating that they may be in the country illegally. The Post also reported the men may be affiliated with the MS-13 gang.
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