Three teenagers in Massachusetts have been charged with assault and battery for allegedly attacking a transgender boy after a months-long investigation by the Gloucester Police Department. The teenagers, two of whom are 17 years old and one who is 16 years old, were charged following an incident at a party where the victim was reportedly beaten, kicked, and stomped while anti-LGBTQ slurs were used against him. The victim, 16-year-old Jayden Tkaczyk, suffered a broken nose in the attack.
Police responded to the assault in a wooded area in Gloucester and determined that the evidence did not support hate crime charges, even though LGBTQ slurs were used during the attack. Jayden, who knew his alleged assailants through playing football at Gloucester High School, described the incident as being targeted with anti-LGBTQ slurs as he was being beaten.
The charged teenagers are set to face a Clark Magistrate hearing to determine if there is sufficient evidence for the charges to proceed. Police Chief Edward Conley stated that the charges were consistent with the evidence gathered during the investigation. Jayden’s mother expressed outrage over the incident, and Jayden himself described the attack as a sudden and brutal assault that left him injured.
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