A Texas boutique owner has been arrested and charged with hate crimes after she was filmed attacking a transgender man and his boyfriend in April.
Police arrested Evan Berryhill-Jewell, the owner of Texas Angels Boutique, on assault charges Monday, said Richard Espinoza, spokesperson for the San Angelo Police Department.
Berryhill-Jewell Charged with Assault Because of Bias or Prejudice
Berryhill-Jewell was charged with assault because of bias or prejudice, an enhancement that carries more severe penalties if found to be guilty.
"Evan Berryhill's bond was set at $1000," Maj. Todd Allen, the Tom Green County Jail administrator, said in an emailed statement obtained by The Advocate. "She was bonded out by Jenkins A Action Bail Bonds at 1:31 p.m. today."
'You F*cking F*ggots'
In April, Charles Hardy and his boyfriend just returned home from a birthday dinner around 9 p.m. when they were almost truck by a speeding vehicle as they were walking from their car to a nearby trash container.
Berryhill-Jewell then double-parked her car and began lashing out at the couple, with Hardy, a transgender man, on the receiving end of her ire.
In the clip, Berryhill-Jewell repeatedly approaches and aggressively touches Hardy, even after being asked to stop. Finally, she gets in his face and talks about his appearance and sexuality with slurred speech.
"You fucking faggots need to learn that equality is what I got," her rant begins. "How are you any better than me?"
She declares "Republican all the way, baby," and continues to make derogatory comments.
"Will we gross you out enough to move over one space?" Hardy asks as she approaches her car. Berryhill-Jewell refuses.
"I don't give a fuck that y'all are faggots," she begins again. "Sorry, not sorry. Y'all are faggots."
Popular TikTok user @thatdaneshguy shared video footage of the encounter on Instagram. Watch the clip below:
Berryhill-Jewell Left Post-Its with Racial Slurs on Their Door, Vehicle
Hardy says the couple initially declined to press assault charges because they were anxious and wanted her to leave them alone when San Angelo Police officers arrived. However, he says Berryhill-Jewell left Post-It notes with slurs, including "faggot," on his door and their vehicles later in the night, which led him to contact the cops again and commit to pursuing charges.
Hardy says he shared the entire 14-minute-long video with police. Throughout the four-month-long investigation, Hardy and his partner initiated an internal affairs investigation by the San Angelo Police Department. They alleged that the responding officers didn't do a proper investigation and ultimately returned evidence to the perpetrator.
