Md. Man Sentenced in Transgender Girl Metro Stabbing

A D.C. Superior Court judge sentenced a Greenbelt, Maryland, man to more than four years in prison for stabbing a transgender girl on a Metro train.

Reginald Klaiber, 25, was sentenced to 56 months in prison after pleading guilty to a charge of assault with a dangerous weapon with a hate crime enhancement, prosecutors said.

"This prison sentence should make clear that we will not tolerate hate-fueled violence in the District of Columbia," U.S. Attorney Ronald Machen said in a statement.

Klaiber confronted the 15-year-old victim on a Green Line train near the Fort Totten Metro Station in July 2014, prosecutors said. The victim was dressed in women's clothing, and Klaiber repeatedly harassed her and asked about her appearance, attorneys said. As the train stopped, Klaiber grabbed the victim in a bear hug and stabbed her in the back, prosecutors said.

The victim and two friends ran off the train at Fort Totten, and Klaiber chased and threatened to stab her again.

Authorities said Metro Transit Police apprehended Klaiber outside the Fort Totten Station.

Prosecutors said the victim needed medical treatment for her injuries.

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