Austin Police Probe Possible Hate Crime at Barton Springs

After a transgender woman was allegedly assaulted over the weekend at Barton Springs, Austin police are investigating the incident as a possible hate crime.

The altercation reportedly began on Saturday when three men ‘incessantly hit on’ two women at the Barton Springs spillway, according to a Reddit post describing the event second-hand. When the women's transgender friend joined the group, the comments allegedly escalated to transphobic slurs and physical intimidation, according to the post.

The Reddit user claims a “Good Samaritan” bystander stepped in to defend the women, after which one of the assailants allegedly struck him in the head with a rock. The man’s jaw was broken, though the post does not make clear whether the injury was caused by that blow.

Officers arrived at the scene around 5:22 p.m. and found a man being treated by EMS, later confirmed to be the bystander, according to the Austin Police Department. He was taken to a hospital shortly afterward.

Through an interview with a witness, officers learned that a verbal dispute had reportedly escalated into a physical altercation involving multiple people, according to the Austin Police Department. The witness reported being pushed by one of the men before the individual fled the scene.

A video from the incident of a woman being pushed has surfaced on social media. Both social media posts and the police urge anyone with knowledge about the reported assailants or alleged assault to contact the police at (512) 472-TIPS or austincrimestoppers.org.

Police said the case is being reviewed by APD’s Hate Crime Review Committee. When a potential hate crime is reported, the department assigns it both a criminal offense code and a hate crime code, triggering a dual review where investigators handle the crime itself and the Hate Crime Review Committee determines if bias or prejudice motivated the offense, notifying prosecutors if so.