Two men are being sought after an assault against a transgender woman and a bystander who intervened at the Barton Springs spillway in late July.
The assault grabbed headlines after a post on Reddit said three men harassed and assaulted a transgender woman and her friends near the Barton Springs spillway on July 26. A bystander stepped in, and his jaw was broken.
Arrest warrants have been issued for two men, Matthew Villanueva and Joshua Bell, in connection with the assault. Bell previously faced a family violence misdemeanor assault charge in 2018, but that case was dismissed, according to Travis County court records.
Both suspects face a second-degree felony assault charge. It's unclear at this time if the charge covers the assault of the trans woman or the bystander.
The incident was initially being investigated as a hate crime by police, but it's not clear whether prosecutors will pursue hate crime charges.
This is a developing story.
