Photo used under a Creative Commons license with wstryder.

The D.C. police department’s Internal Affairs section is investigating an incident where a transgender woman was arrested last week for spraying an off-duty D.C. police officer with chemical repellent despite asserting that she was defending herself from a bias-related assault by the officer. The Washington Blade intricately documents the incident that occurred in the early morning hours of December 1 on the 1500 block of K Street, NW. According to police reports, Chloe Alexander Moore was arrested for an unprovoked assault on off-duty Officer Raphael Radon following a conversation. Radon documents in the report that Moore approached him for a cigarette lighter, then stated, “we have everything better than where you’re going for $10.” When refused, Moore then sprayed Radon in the eyes and fled after Radon displayed his MPD badge.

However Moore, as well as corroborating interviews with witnesses, indicate that Officer Radon initiated the altercation and that it may have been biased, leading to Radon forcefully apprehending Moore on the ground. Moore plans to file a police abuse complaint against Officer Radon and has approached a local transgender advocacy group.

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