Cops: Trans Activist Beaten After Orlando Benefit

Seattle Police say they are working with the FBI to investigate a hate crime attack after a transgender person was beaten unconscious on their way home from a fundraiser for victims of the Orlando shooting this week, the Associated Press reports.

Investigators say Michael Volz was walking to their car after the benefit show on Wednesday when a white man in an orange sweatshirt said, “Hey, happy Pride,” and began choked and punching them. According to Volz’ GoFundMe page, the man said, “Show me your tits, you tranny cunt,” during the attack.

“The victim lost consciousness and the suspect fled the scene,” said Seattle Police in a statement. “Upon regaining consciousness, the victim was able to drive home and contact a friend, who drove the victim to the hospital. On the way, they stopped and contacted police.”

Chief O'Toole: “I’m disgusted by this hateful attack. SPD will leverage every resource to identify the suspect and bring him to justice.”

— Seattle Police Dept. (@SeattlePD) June 24, 2016

At a press conference on Friday, Deputy Police Chief Carmen Best said that investigators do not yet have any “good leads,” but are “aggressively pursuing everything.”

“This is not an isolated incident,” said Volz at the press conference. “This is something that happens to our community frequently, and we won’t tolerate it anymore.”