Anthrocon attendee attacked with sword at Pittsburgh’s Wyndham Grand Hotel

A South Carolina man is charged with aggravated assault after allegedly attacking a transgender woman with a sword at Pittsburgh’s Wyndham Grand Hotel.Police said the incident happened a little after 1 a.m. on Thursday.Investigators said police got a call for a person in a hallway bleeding and screaming for help.Responding officers later found the victim in the lobby and blood on the floor and walls of the fifth floor.Police said the victim had a severe laceration on her hand and that she would at least need stitches, for which the victim opted to go to the hospital on her own.According to a criminal complaint, police spoke with a witness who said he, the victim, and another man came to Pittsburgh for Anthrocon.According to that witness, Jake O’Leary, 26, of Greenville, South Carolina, called them and asked them to come to Pittsburgh a day earlier than they planned originally and that they could stay overnight with him until their own hotel was ready.The group gathered at a room at the Wyndham Grand and, after going to bed, O’Leary allegedly got up, grabbed a sword and began swinging it.Police said the victim shielded herself from the blows and was struck multiple times.At some point during the incident, O’Leary also suffered an injury to his face and was taken to the hospital before being taken to jail.O’Leary is scheduled to have a preliminary hearing on July 15.