Editor’s Note: This story contains graphic details and imagery. (Alexander Love mugshot via Miami-Dade Corrections & Rehabilitation Department)
MIAMI | A transgender teen was stabbed 18 times while at the Miami International Airport late July 20.
While the motive is still unclear, police arrested 29-year old Alexander Love. He was charged with attempted first-degree murder and is being held without bond. The victim, 17, is a transgender girl currently in the process of transitioning, according to police, and it is unclear whether she and Love knew each other before the attack.
“According to investigators, uniformed officers responded to reports of a stabbing,” a Miami-Dade news release reads. “The preliminary information has revealed that the subject and victim were in the 4th floor level of the terminal in the pre-security area.
“Without provocation, the subject attacked the victim by stabbing her multiple times and attempted to throw her over the railing,” it continues. “The victim was able to escape the attack and ran down the stairs to the 3rd floor level, which is where the officers found her.”
Footage captured and posted on the “Only in Dade” Instagram account, shows travelers running away from the commotion and the victim receiving care from a bystander.
Paramedics rushed the teen — who was in critical care — to a trauma center to receive treatment. She underwent emergency surgery and is recovering.
The panic caused the evacuation of two concourses within the airports southern terminal. Operations resumed later that night.
The Florida LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus released a statement just a few days after the attack, calling it “… another sign that overheated rhetoric and discriminatory legislation is making Florida dangerous for the transgender community.”
“Our hearts go out to this young victim. Violence against transgender people in Florida is a problem exacerbated by the hateful rhetoric of Florida Republicans and their leaders Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis. They have provided the oxygen that gives life to these purposeful and tragic attacks,” Caucus President Kristen Browde said. “Changing the language, tone and intention of our conversations will lead to a different environment. Likewise, the election of Kamala Harris and Democrats up and down the ballot in Florida will provide the transgender community the visible and vocal support we need to ensure our safety and security.”
