AUSTIN, Texas — The Austin Police Department (APD) have charged two people in connection to an alleged hate crime at Barton Springs Pool that happened in July.

Joshua McKeith Bell, 28, and Mathew Robert Villanueva, 29, face aggravated assault charges stemming from the incident.

Police said officers initially responded to the scene on July 26 for a disturbance hot shot call at the pool located at the 2000 block of Andrew Zilker Rd. Multiple people claimed there was a victim bleeding from their head after a fight. When officers arrived Bell and Villanueva had already left the scene.

APD spoke to a witness who said an unknown man began verbally harassing the victim, later identified as a transgender woman, which escalated into a physical assault involving multiple people. The witness said

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