Police in New Orleans are investigating a group of men who filmed themselves harassing and punching a transgender woman, and then uploading the footage to the web.
Local news station WWLTV reports that a transgender woman was walking along North Claiborne Avenue in the 7th Ward in New Orleans when she was accosted by men who were following her in their car.
In a video of the incident posted online, the men drive down the street and spot the transgender woman and start yelling at her. One of the men in the group gets out of the car and starts arguing with the woman while another films him on his phone while yelling, "Shoot that b*tch!"
Shortly after, the man confronting the transgender woman repeatedly punches her in the face.
"She’s in shock," an LGBT advocate who has been in contact with the victim tells WWLTV. "She’s traumatized by the event. It disrupted her way of living. This individual, from my understanding, was minding their own business."
New Orleans resident Casey Nunez saw the video online and quickly contacted police after being disturbed by what he saw.
"My reaction was absolute disbelief at first,” he told WWLTV. "It's absolutely horrible. It's something that should never happen anywhere."
While police are currently investigating the incident, they have not yet identified any suspects or interviewed the victim.
Watch a local news report on the incident below.
