Man charged with hate crime for alleged transphobic stabbing in the Bronx

A man was arraigned on a slew of charges Dec. 7 for allegedly stabbing a woman while hurling anti-trans slurs in the Bronx last month after she sought to intervene in the man’s verbal argument with another woman, according to the NYPD and prosecutors at the Bronx District Attorney’s Office.

Carlos Santana, 28, faces assault, possession of a weapon, harassment, and hate crime charges for his alleged role in the Nov. 9 incident, which took place at a residential building at 3401 Third Ave. in the Morrisania section of the Bronx, notes the complaint from the Bronx Criminal Court. He was arrested on Dec. 6. 

It was around 10:20 a.m. when Santana was engaged in a dispute with a woman, prompting Tiffany Simmons to step in, the NYPD and Bronx DA’s Office said. Santana immediately took issue with Simmons’ interference in the quarrel and warned against getting involved, authorities asserted.

Prosecutors said Simmons told them Santana proceeded to stab her with “a sharp, bladed object” while stating, “Stay out of my business, you f***ing f**got. You’re a f***ing man, not a woman. You’re a homo. I’ll fucking shoot and kill you, too.” 

Simmons was stabbed in the upper left thigh, around the back of the ear, and in the upper back area, causing minor bleeding, according to the NYPD. Simmons received medical treatment at a local Bronx hospital, resulting in four staples in the leg and back.

Prosecutor Ashley Akl described Santana as “both transphobic and homophobic” and accused him of running from authorities for a month “not because he felt remorse and sought to turn himself in,” but due to an investigation, according to the New York Daily News.

Defense attorney David Kirsch, representing Santana, said his client “evaded nothing,” according to the Daily News. Kirsch did not immediately respond to Gay City News’ request for comment on Dec. 14.

It is not clear what caused the alleged initial argument between Santana and the unidentified woman before Simmons entered the scene. 

The site of the incident is known as El Borinquen, a 10-story affordable housing residence with 148 units, including homes for seniors and formerly homeless individuals. It opened last year.

The incident occurred just two days after a man was arrested for assaulting a woman and voicing anti-LGBTQ slurs on a southbound Q train in the Bed-Stuy section of Brooklyn on Aug. 25. In that case, police told Gay City News the suspect allegedly called the victim a f****t.