WASHINGTON (AP) — A man who pleaded guilty to pistol-whipping a transgender woman in a convenience store in Washington has been sentenced to 28 months in prison.
Thirty-six-year-old Michael Phillips of Fairmount Heights, Maryland, was sentenced Monday in Superior Court in the District. He had pleaded guilty in March to assault with a dangerous weapon, a charge that included a hate crime enhancement.
According to the government’s evidence, on Jan. 27, Phillips encountered the victim and her friends in a store on Eastern Avenue NE. Prosecutors say Phillips made derogatory remarks about the victim’s gender identity.
Authorities say an argument ensued, and Phillips pulled a handgun from his pocket and struck the victim in the face with the weapon several times.
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