On Monday the 18th a trans-woman attempted to use the womens’ restroom at a McDonald’s in Baltimore, MD and was beaten by at least two women. From the video (taken by a McDonald’s employee) it looks like a manager tried to prevent the attack for a while, but then disappeared as it continued. The other McDonald’s employees can be heard laughing at the situation and doing nothing to help.
The video-taker himself doesn’t appear to be at all sympathetic:
The Smoking Gun reports:
A McDonald’s worker has taken credit for filming and uploading to YouTube the latest viral video to capture a brutal assault at a fast food restaurant. The employee, identified as Vernon Hackett on social network accounts, posted the video clip to his YouTube page earlier this week. According to his Facebook page, the 22-year-old Hackett, pictured at right, has worked for McDonald’s since September 2009. The April 18 assault . . . took place at a McDonald’s location on Kenwood Avenue in Rosedale, Maryland, a Baltimore suburb. According to the Baltimore County Police Department, a 14-year-old girl has been charged as a juvenile in connection with the assault, while charges are pending against an 18-year-old woman. “The incident remains under investigation and the State’s Attorney’s Office is reviewing the case,” added investigators. Police have identified the assault victim as a 22-year-old woman “who appeared to be having a seizure” when officers arrived at the McDonald’s at around 8 PM. A manager at the Rosedale McDonald’s said she was “not allowed to speak to a reporter.” In a corporate statement this afternoon, McDonald’s said it was “shocked by the video from a Baltimore franchise,” and called the incident “unacceptable, disturbing and troubling.” The firm added, “We are working with the franchisee and the local authorities to investigate this matter.”
Who knows what will come of this? Our dubious videographer might have recorded it for his own (and Youtube’s) jollies, but hopefully this will count against all responsible parties. The downside of people recording their own crimes is that it can become fodder for the entertainment of conscience-less people on a Friday night; the upside is that it can become evidence.