Milwaukee Police Seek Help With "Hit & Run" Hate Crime
Two Women Seriously Injured In Gruesome Attack Which Followed Anti-Lesbian Slurs
Milwaukee - The Milwaukee Police Department is investigating an alleged "hit and run" hate crime that occurred last weekend in the vicinity of Walker's Pint, a south side tavern popular with the city's women's community. In the early hours of December 30, three women who had just exited the tavern - Angela Emanule, Gaby Caraballo and Beth Swenson - walked into the path of a man trying to back his car out of a parking space. A verbal altercation ensued and the male driver reportedly shouted anti-lesbian epithets at the women. He then drove about a half block away, made a U-turn on 2nd Street and then deliberately hit the women with his vehicle.  The driver then fled the scene.
  Two of the women were knocked unconscious by the collision and had to seek treatment for their injuries. Emanuele suffered a broken nose and a broken left shoulder, and also received multiple stitches for cuts to her forehead and face. Caraballo received two black eyes, facial contusions and a twelve-inch cut to her knee that required surgery to repair.
  Quest spoke with the police department about the story January 5, but the detective on duty was unable to provide additional details. A squad car responded to a third-party call about the incident, but none of the victims reportedly were present when the police arrived.
  In an interview broadcast January 3 on WITI-TV here, Emanuele told reporter Jeremy Ross that the vehicle was a "dark, 4-door sedan," though she could not identify the year or make of the car. The women believe the front of the vehicle will be damaged.
  The women have also sought assistance from the Anti-Violence Project at the Milwaukee LGBT Center, a staff member told Quest. Because the program is victim-centered, any follow-up with the public by the Center will only be with the women's prior approval.
  Anyone who may have seen the incident or the vehicle involved in what the victims and many in the women's community believe was a deliberate hate crime are asked to contact the police department at 414-935-7222.
  Quest will continue to follow this story as it develops. Photo images courtesy of WITI Fox 6 in Milwaukee.