Posted on Advocate.com June 24, 2011 06:15:00 PM ET
D.A. to Refile Hate Charges in S.F. Transgender Attack
By Winston Gieseke
http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2011/06/24/DA_To_Refile_Hate_Charges_in_SF_Transgender_Attack/ (http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2011/06/24/DA_To_Refile_Hate_Charges_in_SF_Transgender_Attack/)
Even though felony hate-crime charges against two men accused of attacking a transgender woman in San Francisco were dismissed, the city's district attorney says he plans to refile them when the case goes to trial before a different judge.
District Attorney George Gascón said comments made by the assailants at the time of the attack are sufficient to warrant the additional charges, disagreeing with a ruling made by San Francisco Superior Court judge Bruce Chan, who — feeling the incident was motivated purely by robbery — ordered the defendants to stand trial on assault, civil rights, and robbery charges.