Transgender woman in Los Angeles sexually assaulted, beaten and pepper-sprayed
Investigators with the Los Angeles Police Department are asking for the public's help in identifying three suspects reportedly involved in a brutal hate crime against a 61-year-old transgender woman.
In a news release, detectives with LAPD's Rampart Division said the violence initially unfolded on April 8 at the victim's store when one of the involved suspects began to flirt with her.
'The victim rejected his advances, and he left. However, the suspect returned a short time later and pushed her to the ground,' police said. 'The suspect sexually assaulted the victim and discovered she was a transgender woman. The suspect pulled away and threatened to kill the victim.'
The same suspect returned several more times with two other suspects and committed hate crimes against the victim,' police added.
In surveillance video of several of the assaults obtained by KTLA, the three suspects can be seen violently attacking the woman, identified as Sabrina de la Peña, at her second-floor store in the Westlake District that she's operated for the last 30 years.
In hard to watch footage of the attacks, one of the men hides just outside her door with a skateboard before rushing in and, according to investigators, brutally striking de la Peña with it.
'I was screaming for help, but nobody around giving help to me,' de la Peña told KTLA's Rachel Menitoff. 'He take me out to the alleyway and he start beating me outside.'
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The same suspect is then seen dragging her onto the balcony of the building, violently beating her as she tries to defend herself and another suspect looks on.
In other instances, police said the suspects pepper-sprayed de la Peña, doused her with an unknown liquid and tried to stun her with a Taser.
The small business owner says her attackers have returned two additional times since then.
'I want to ask the community to help me find those guys, help the police catch those guys. If not, they're going to kill me,' she explained. 'Now, I don't feel safe. I feel unsafe in the alley. I cannot work because I only thinking he going to come back.'
While authorities have stepped up patrols outside de la Peña's store, they are also hoping the public can help identify the three suspects and believe there may be additional, unreported victims of the trio.
Anyone who may have been a victim or who has information regarding the identification of the three suspects is urged to contact Rampart Division Robbery Detectives at 213-484-3495.
Those wishing to remain anonymous can call the L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-222-8477.
De la Peña will be speaking with KTLA's Rachel Menitoff tonight at 10 p.m.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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