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Police searching for suspect in Woodside hammer attack

By Gina Martinez

WOODSIDE—Police were investigating a possible hate crime in Woodside.

On Aug. 17 at 6 a.m. a 28-year-old Hispanic woman was walking on 67th Street when she was struck in the back of the head with a hammer, police said. Police have confirmed the victim was a transgender woman.

The suspect, who police described as a black male, exited a gray Toyota 4Runner and made a reference to the victim being gay before striking her, according to police. The suspect ran back to his car and drove south down 66th Street, police said. The victim sustained lacerations to her head and was taken to Elmhurst Medical Center where she was in stable condition, police said.

The incident is being investigated as a hate crime, police said.

“I am outraged that yet another member of the Queens transgender community was brutally attacked on our streets just a few days ago,” City Councilman Daniel Dromm (D-Jackson Heights) said. “Targeted violence against LGBT people strikes at the heart of the community and will not be tolerated. I await the results of the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force investigation, which is currently underway and will continue to push back against hate in all its forms.”

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).