She Pepper Sprayed The Man Who Trans-Bashed Her. He Happens To Be A Cop

Chloe Alexander Moore, a 25-year-old D.C.-area trans woman, was arrested last week for discharging her pepper spray into the face of a man who verbally and physically assaulted her in the early morning hours. Oh, the man was an off-duty police officer? And he might be the one who's at fault?

Raphael Radon is under investigation by Internal Affairs for allegedly instigating the assault on Moore (not pictured),reports the Washington Blade. Moore, who is charged with simple assault, pleaded not guilty. And from her account — which appears to be backed up by classified reports, which include witness statements, leaked to the Blade — it sounds like she isn't.

Moore told the Blade the incident began when she and a female transgender friend were walking along the 1500 block of K St., N.W., and crossed paths with the man later identified as Officer Radon. Moore said Radon was with two friends, a man and a woman. “We didn’t have a lighter and we see a gentleman who had a cigarette lit,” Moore said. “My friend goes and asks for a light and he said, ‘Hey ladies, how you doing?’ And we said we’re doing fine.”

According to Moore, as Radon got closer to the two he realized they were transgender. “He was like, ‘I’m not going to give you a light because you’re a man,’” said Moore, who added that Radon suddenly became hostile and began making disparaging comments about her appearance, especially the dress she was wearing. “He said he could see my dick and my balls. And he was very hostile and angry and I was afraid of what he would do and then he pushed me,” Moore said. “Not knowing if he was going to really hurt me I got real scared and in self-defense I pepper sprayed him.”

Moore said she immediately ran from the scene, with Radon chasing after her for nearly two blocks. "He grabbed the back of my neck and he throws me on the ground,” Moore said. “My midsection was on the curb and he puts his knee in my back real hard, and it caused a lot of pain.” It was at that time, according to Moore, that Radon pulled out his badge and identified himself to her as a police officer. Within seconds, she said, uniformed, on-duty police officers appeared on the scene. Minutes later she said she was placed in handcuffs and a short time later placed inside a police car. “We stayed out there about three hours after it occurred, waiting to see what was going to happen,” said Moore. “The police were talking among themselves and trying to make up their minds what they were going to do.”

Radon's version goes like this:

The report gives Officer Radon’s account of what happened, saying he told an officer responding to the scene that he was approached by “two transgenders who engaged him and [Witness 1] and [Witness 2] in conversation.” According to the report, Radon said the two transgender women asked him for a cigarette light and then asked him where he was going. “It’s unclear which witness pointed across the street to a club,” the report says. “[Moore] then stated, ‘We have everything better than where you’re going for $10,” the report said Radon told officers at the scene.

“Officer Radon then told [Moore], ‘No thank you, I am not into guys.” “And told [Moore] ‘You don’t know who you’re talking to,’” the report says. “[Moore] then pulled out a can of pepper spray and sprayed Officer Radon in the face. Officer Radon then pulled out his MPDC credentials at which time [Moore] ran [eastbound] on K Street,” the report says. “Officer Radon gave foot pursuit and then an apprehension was made in the 1400 block of K Street. Both Witness 1 and Witness 2 collaborated [Radon’s] statements,” the report says.

We can already see how this is going to play out: Radon's attorneys will try to discredit Moore, who was arrested last month on prostitution charges (that she's contesting) in an area known for its trans sex workers. Radon will also enjoy some level of protection from his boys in blue. But statements from witnesses will certainly have the most damning effect on Radon's version of events. So let's expect an administrative slap on the wrist, some desk duty for a few weeks, and Moore's earlier prostitution charges dismissed so this all goes away.

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