A transgender woman who was attacked in Midtown early Friday after an apparent sex-for-pay meeting was pistol-whipped in the head and nearly shot, police said.
The victim, identified in the report as 30-year-old Gary Lovejoy, was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital to be treated for head and ear wounds shortly after the attack, which took place about 6:40 a.m. on Pine Street in Midtown.
Atlanta police described Lovejoy as transgender in initial reports about the incident on Friday. In the incident report, witnesses refer to Lovejoy as a woman and Officer A.C. Huntley, repeatedly refers to Lovejoy as “he” in the report.
The altercation apparently started after Ausher Sean paid Lovejoy for sex. The suspect stopped on Pine Street and demanded that Lovejoy return his money.
The victim was able to report a partial license plate number of the suspect’s vehicle. A blood swab from the gun’s magazine clip was sent to a crime lab.
Immediately after the assault, police commanders notified Officer Patricia Powell, the department’s LGBT liaison, of the incident. Powell will work with investigators to monitor the incident and talk with the victim, police said.
On Thursday, the police department announced the creation of a nine-person LGBT advisory board that will work with Powell.
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