US — Bronx, New York. Thomas J. Heard, a man who identifies as a woman, allegedly attacked several strangers in a spree that spanned two days and two boroughs. Law enforcement sources are calling the incidents hate crimes.
The 37-year-old Bronx resident, who has a history of 65 arrests and goes by the name Tasha, is accused of a series of racially motivated acts in which he kicked, pepper sprayed and pulled out a “sharp object” on his victims.
Mr Heard is accused of pepper-spraying a man at the 125th street subway station on Friday, March 8 at 11:50 AM before preceding to the street, where he allegedly pepper-sprayed five more people.
Later in the day, Mr Heard allegedly pepper-sprayed a middle-aged man in the face before kicking a woman in the shins as he passed her on the street.
“‘I hate you, you expletive expletive!'” Denise Gannaway, a victim quotes her attacker as yelling to a woman on Saturday by her Bronx apartment building. As Ms Gannaway ran screaming for her boyfriend Joe Barbuto, the attacker allegedly pursued the couple and pepper-sprayed them in their faces. The victims say he pulled out an unknown weapon from his pocket during the attack.
Mr Heard pepper-sprayed another woman in the face at the train station at West 96th Street and Broadway.
Police found pepper spray and scissors on Mr Heard’s person at the time of his arrest at Crotona Avenue and 187th Street.
Mr Heard has been charged with assault as a hate crime, menacing as a hate crime, harassment as a hate crime and assault with criminal possession of a weapon.
Authorities are investigating whether race may have been a motivating factor in the attacks. All of the victims of the alleged crime spree are white.
Mr Heard’s neighbors, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that he often talks to himself. Many of the rants he has with himself are race-related. Based on Mr Heard’s apparently troubled condition, one neighbor speculated that he may have “trauma associated with white people.”
Several of the incidents, which took place in the Bronx and Manhattan, were captured on camera.
Mr Heard’s extensive criminal record include arrests for prostitution and for assaulting an officer.
Read more from other sources
ABC7NY
FIRST ON 7: Woman sprays unknown substance in series of attacks, police launch hate crime investigation
FIRST ON 7: Woman sprays unknown substance in series of attacks, police launch hate crime investigation
BELMONT, Bronx (WABC) — A woman was arrested after police say she went on a spree of hate attacks using some type of pepper-spray-like liquid on random strangers.
Fox News
Transgender woman arrested in chemical spray attack eyed as hate crime in New York
A transgender woman has been arrested in connection to the random attacks of at least seven people who were sprayed with a chemical substance on Friday in New York in what is being investigated as a hate crime.
NY Post
Woman arrested for pepper-spraying 7 people in possible bias attack: cops
A transgender woman with dozens of prior arrests is in custody for a two-day, two-borough binge of pepper-spray ambushes on 11 unsuspecting strangers, allegedly fueled by anti-white bias, cops said Sunday.
As usual trans-identified people are most adept at creating confusion in everyone around them… The Fox headline & NBC story both clearly state that Thomas J. Heard is a “transgender woman” (i.e. implying a male who identifies as a female/woman), but I am really skeptical about that claim. First, transwomen usually adopt a ‘feminine’ name as part of their transition (and news stories overwhelmingly accommodate them, and avoid dead-naming, even without a legal name change); and second, Heard’s build & gait look female – are we sure ‘Thomas J. Heard’ isn’t actually a woman who identifies as a man? ‘Cause that’s my bet.
It is a fact that Thomas Heard is a biological male, and that is his birth name. He informally goes by the name “Tasha,” but has not legally changed his name; few black trans do change their names legally. This is a young individual with continual arrests (65 arrests), so media doesn’t have to do much digging. State facts that further the discussion, and not idle, unjustified speculation based on personal hopes. Another photo has been added to this article which shows the alleged perpetrator up close, and it’s clear that the individual is biologically male while attempting to look more like a woman. The idea that a woman has 65 arrests, including for assaulting police officers, and also walks around violently attacking numerous strangers is absurd.
Yeah I’ve just seen & read more, came back to say “I stand corrected!” (Although I don’t think it’s absurd that anyone who’s been prostituted & arrested dozens of times might not eventually lash out, even a woman.)
I don’t think all trans are criminal, but TIMs commit violent crime at the same rate as other males. How is it that women and children are always placed at risk because we must allow these males in our spaces?
Again, the hypocrisy speaks volumes here! If this ‘woman’ was to experience something as ‘transphobic’, whether it was or not, this person would we screaming to the moon!
What’s real scary about this incident is that I live in the NYC area and I did not hear anything about this hate crime whatsoever!
I only learn about trans crimes when I come to this site or TransCrimes UK.
This was not a hate crime. I grew up with thomas j heard. Whom does identify as a woman so please respect that. SHe was the witness of a horrible crime in buffalo about 15 years ago which traumatized her to physically be forced to watch someone they love be tortured and murdered and then burned to death by four people. She was put in protective custody where she met and fell in love with a white police officer. Her and this officer moved to nyc last i heard from her was 10 years ago. I believe this officer was no good for her had her on drugs which led to addiction which led to prostitution. Also if any of these people accusing her would look into her history they would also see that she was born mentally ill, and mental illness is nothing to joke about.
Gender dysphoria is often comorbid with other mental disorders. For example, this study found:
I understand that in Thomas’s head, Thomas is a woman. As you said, Thomas suffers from mental illnesses. One of these mental illnesses Thomas suffers from tells Thomas that Thomas is a woman, despite Thomas being male. That is unfortunate for Thomas. However, we commenting here do not suffer from this mental illness, and should not be obligated to lie about Thomas’s sex to placate him, any more than we should be compelled to validate other hallucinations caused by this man’s apparent schizophrenia.
I will not be respecting Thomas’s ‘identity’ as a woman, which is dehumanizing to women. Women and girls are not an identity within a man, a costume he can wear or a pill or surgery he can get. Women and girls are human beings.
Thomas is a man. The crimes of Thomas, and other men, should not be reported by media as or recorded in crime and statistical data as female crime. Black women are in enough danger statistically with little media attention and zero SJW attention or BLM marches devoted to the crisis, and do not deserve the stigma of committing random violent attacks in the streets. Thomas should be placed in male prison with other men.
Mental illness is never an excuse for murder. Women suffer mental illness at far higher rates than men, and yet there are seven times more male murderers than female.
I’m not equipped to comment on whether Thomas was committing hate crimes, as I do not know this individual, am not privy to his state of mind at the time of the violent spree, and know nothing about his life, statements or behavior. Those who psychologically evaluate him for trial will make that determination.