STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. (PIX11) — A Staten Island woman was buying weed at a deli when a worker allegedly called her a “transvestite” before dragging her out of the store by her hair and beating her, according to a new lawsuit and video of the incident.
Jasmine Adams, 35, was attacked because of her LGBTQ+ status during a visit to the West Brighton Deli & Grill at 718 Henderson Ave. in West Brighton at around midnight on July 28, according to police and the complaint filed Monday in Staten Island Supreme Court.
“He called her trans and she’s not,” Adams’ lawyer, Robert E. Brown, said.
Brown said the worker threw the weed on the ground before attacking her. Adams was allegedly Maced after the defendant saw the Pride flag band on her Apple watch. The man then dragged her out of the store by the hair and kicked her in the head, according to the court papers. The lawsuit said Adams was seriously injured but did not provide details.
A video obtained by PIX11 News showed a man dressed in a white Denver Nuggets jersey dragging Adams by the hair out of the store and throwing her onto the sidewalk before kicking her once in the head. He then marched back into the store while onlookers checked on Adams.
“Oh my God…. you don’t have to do all that,” a witness said in the video.
Adams was “emotionally and physically damaged…. because of the willful, wanton, and malicious nature of the defendant’s actions,” according to the complaint.
The lawsuit said the worker was not fired after the incident.
Adams is suing the company for negligence, assault, battery, and emotional distress.
The NYPD confirmed Adams filed a police report with similar details. There have been no arrests and the investigation is ongoing.
The deli owner could not immediately be reached on Tuesday.
Mira Wassef is a digital reporter who has covered news and sports in the New York City area for more than a decade. She joined PIX11 News in 2022. See more of her work here.
