On March 28, 39-year-old Andre Phillip Karlow pleaded not guilty during his first appearance at a hearing in the King County Superior Court (KCSC) after Seattle police had arrested him as part of a hate crime investigation the previous day. His bail has been set at $200,000.

It is alleged that, along with a group of men, Karlow attacked a Transgender woman who was leaving work on the 4700 block of University Way NE, breaking her teeth and causing numerous other injuries.

Karlow now faces two hate crime charges, as he is alleged to have also assaulted a Sound Transit fare ambassador —also a Trans woman — last September.

Assault on the Ave
Shortly after 6 p.m. on March 27, Seattle Police responded to a call in which the victim reported being thrown on the ground and beaten, and that the assailants were still present. The victim told police she was leaving work and passed a group of men, who called her a "drag queen" and said, "Take your makeup off." She turned to ask what they said and began to take out her phone to photograph them, but before she could do so, they jumped her and punched her face, according to the SPD report.

The woman fell to the ground, and the men proceeded to kick her body. She escaped but, chased by the men, ran into a nearby restaurant.

"The suspects created a disturbance inside but eventually left when confronted by patrons/customers," according to the SPD report.

The SPD arrived on the scene and called in Seattle Fire so the victim could be assessed and treated for her bruised and swollen eye, broken teeth, scraped hands, and abdominal pain.

She told the police that the suspects repeated the US Marine Corps motto, "Semper Fi," and she mentioned that she was a veteran. In response, one of the suspects allegedly brought up Trump's Trans military ban.

Seattle police were able to identify Karlow and approached his residence on foot, spotting a suspect with similar clothing and characteristics as in witness reports, including camera footage and eyewitnesses. Officers served a signed search warrant, and the suspect was taken into custody.

"There were others allegedly involved in the attack," said Casey McNerthney, director of communications at the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office. "The incident remains under investigation with Seattle Police, and cases involving others have not been referred to the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office. In court on Friday, the defendant's defense attorney said his client has no affiliation with the United States Marine Corps."

Rap sheet and additional anti-Trans hate crime
According to the SPD report, "Coincidentally, an officer had taken a DV [domestic violence] assault report... involving the same suspect vehicle... A girlfriend of A/Karlow reported he had thrown a can of food at her [which] did strike the victim, causing injury. Probable cause for Assault 4-DV was established against Karlow."

The King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office provided the SGN with Karlow's criminal record, which dates back to 2004, when he was charged with carrying and handling weapons. In 2005, he was charged with attempted assault in the second degree and assault in the third degree. In 2007 and 2008, Karlow was charged with assault in the fourth degree. He was charged with disarming a law enforcement officer in 2008, assault in the third degree, and escape. In 2017, Karlow was charged with obstruction, violation of a domestic violence no contact/protection order, and threats to harm (DV).

Karlow is also accused of committing a hate crime due to the perception of gender expression and identity and sexual orientation, stemming from an incident last fall relating to a Sound Transit fare ambassador, who is also a Transgender woman.

According to the KCSC case file from September 18, 2024, "the defendant punched the victim in an unprovoked assault. The victim and witnesses reported to police that the defendant called the victim a 'faggot' and told the victim to 'put some bass in your voice' when the victim asked him for proof of fare.

The assault is captured on surveillance video and shows the defendant assaulting the victim and then struggling with security as they detained him. During this attack, Karlow exchanged words and stepped onto the train as the victim removed her phone to photograph the suspect. He stepped off the train and immediately punched her in the face, according to the case file.

For this incident, the court placed Karlow's bail at $30,000, and he was released on October 15 after the amount was paid by the Northwest Community Bail Fund, which works to end pretrial detention and cash bail in the state.

"We oppose pretrial detention and cash bail, because they harm communities and are racist, classist, transphobic, and ableist. High bails do not increase safety; rather they make sure only the wealthy and people with resources go free, creating two systems of criminal process in Washington: one for people who can afford bail and another for people who can't," according to the organization's website.

Karlow's next court hearing for the September incident is April 16.