Latest news with #SabrinadelaPeña
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Police release photos of suspects who allegedly attacked transgender woman
The Los Angeles Police Department is asking for the public's help in identifying three suspects who are allegedly involved in a series of attacks against a transgender woman -- with the most recent incident taking place on Sunday. Police released photos of the three suspects and said that an initial attack and sexual assault allegedly took place on April 8, while the most recent attacks that police believe to be "perpetrated by the same individuals" allegedly took place at around 11:38 p.m. local time on Saturday. No arrests had been made in this case as of Monday afternoon, an LAPD spokesperson told ABC News. "[The suspects] returned to the victim's location and physically assaulted her, inflicting serious injuries. The suspects fled the scene before officers arrived," the LAPD said in a statement released on Sunday. Police said the victim is a 61-year-old transgender woman but did not disclose her identity. However, the victim of the alleged attacks -- Sabrina de la Peña -- came forward in an April 28 interview with ABC Station in Los Angeles, KABC. De la Peña, a small business owner in the Westlake neighborhood, recounted the alleged April 8 attack. She told KABC she believed that being transgender made her a target. She said that the first suspect came into her store and attempted to flirt with her but became angry when she turned him away. "He pushed me down... on the floor and we start fighting on the floor," she said. According to an April 28 police statement, "the suspect sexually assaulted the victim and discovered she was a transgender woman. The suspect pulled away and threatened to kill the victim." "Subsequently, the same suspect returned to the location multiple times with additional suspects and committed hate crimes against the victim," police said. According to police, during one incident the suspect allegedly struck the victim with a skateboard, and on another occasion, he pepper-sprayed her. During a third incident, the suspect allegedly "threw an unknown liquid at the victim while another suspect attempted to stun her with a Taser," police said. De la Peña said that after the initial incident on April 8, the suspect allegedly returned the next day with another man and beat her with a skateboard. "He take me to the alley, out my he beating me," she told KABC. "I think he hate transgender women because he tell me many times... 'I'm gonna kill you.'" Police are asking for the public's help in identifying the three alleged suspects and urging people to review the photos and share any tips with LAPD Rampart Division Detectives at (213) 484-3495.
02-06-2025
Los Angeles police release photos of suspects in alleged attacks against transgender woman
The Los Angeles Police Department is asking for the public's help in identifying three suspects who are allegedly involved in a series of attacks against a transgender woman -- with the most recent incident taking place on Sunday. Police released photos of the three suspects and said that an initial attack and sexual assault allegedly took place on April 8, while the most recent attacks that police believe to be "perpetrated by the same individuals" allegedly took place at around 11:38 p.m. local time on Saturday. No arrests had been made in this case as of Monday afternoon, an LAPD spokesperson told ABC News. "[The suspects] returned to the victim's location and physically assaulted her, inflicting serious injuries. The suspects fled the scene before officers arrived," the LAPD said in a statement released on Sunday. Police said the victim is a 61-year-old transgender woman but did not disclose her identity. However, the victim of the alleged attacks -- Sabrina de la Peña -- came forward in an April 28 interview with ABC Station in Los Angeles, KABC. De la Peña, a small business owner in the Westlake neighborhood, recounted the alleged April 8 attack. She told KABC she believed that being transgender made her a target. She said that the first suspect came into her store and attempted to flirt with her but became angry when she turned him away. "He pushed me down... on the floor and we start fighting on the floor," she said. According to an April 28 police statement, "the suspect sexually assaulted the victim and discovered she was a transgender woman. The suspect pulled away and threatened to kill the victim." "Subsequently, the same suspect returned to the location multiple times with additional suspects and committed hate crimes against the victim," police said. According to police, during one incident the suspect allegedly struck the victim with a skateboard, and on another occasion, he pepper-sprayed her. During a third incident, the suspect allegedly "threw an unknown liquid at the victim while another suspect attempted to stun her with a Taser," police said. De la Peña said that after the initial incident on April 8, the suspect allegedly returned the next day with another man and beat her with a skateboard. "He take me to the alley, out my he beating me," she told KABC. "I think he hate transgender women because he tell me many times... 'I'm gonna kill you.'" Police are asking for the public's help in identifying the three alleged suspects and urging people to review the photos and share any tips with LAPD Rampart Division Detectives at (213) 484-3495.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Police release photos of suspects who allegedly attacked transgender woman
The Los Angeles Police Department is asking for the public's help in identifying three suspects who are allegedly involved in a series of attacks against a transgender woman -- with the most recent incident taking place on Sunday. Police released photos of the three suspects and said that an initial attack and sexual assault allegedly took place on April 8, while the most recent attacks that police believe to be "perpetrated by the same individuals" allegedly took place at around 11:38 p.m. local time on Saturday. No arrests had been made in this case as of Monday afternoon, an LAPD spokesperson told ABC News. "[The suspects] returned to the victim's location and physically assaulted her, inflicting serious injuries. The suspects fled the scene before officers arrived," the LAPD said in a statement released on Sunday. Police said the victim is a 61-year-old transgender woman but did not disclose her identity. However, the victim of the alleged attacks -- Sabrina de la Peña -- came forward in an April 28 interview with ABC Station in Los Angeles, KABC. De la Peña, a small business owner in the Westlake neighborhood, recounted the alleged April 8 attack. She told KABC she believed that being transgender made her a target. She said that the first suspect came into her store and attempted to flirt with her but became angry when she turned him away. "He pushed me down... on the floor and we start fighting on the floor," she said. According to an April 28 police statement, "the suspect sexually assaulted the victim and discovered she was a transgender woman. The suspect pulled away and threatened to kill the victim." "Subsequently, the same suspect returned to the location multiple times with additional suspects and committed hate crimes against the victim," police said. According to police, during one incident the suspect allegedly struck the victim with a skateboard, and on another occasion, he pepper-sprayed her. During a third incident, the suspect allegedly "threw an unknown liquid at the victim while another suspect attempted to stun her with a Taser," police said. De la Peña said that after the initial incident on April 8, the suspect allegedly returned the next day with another man and beat her with a skateboard. "He take me to the alley, out my he beating me," she told KABC. "I think he hate transgender women because he tell me many times... 'I'm gonna kill you.'" Police are asking for the public's help in identifying the three alleged suspects and urging people to review the photos and share any tips with LAPD Rampart Division Detectives at (213) 484-3495.
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Yahoo
String of unsolved 'transphobic' attacks target MacArthur Park shopkeeper
At her hole-in-the-wall convenience store across the street from MacArthur Park, Sabrina de la Peña has supplied cold beverages, household necessities and kind words for nearly 30 years. Despite issues with crime in the area, De la Peña, 61, said she never felt threatened by a customer until last month. Over the course of two weeks, she was repeatedly assaulted and harassed by an unidentified man now wanted by police. 'Sure, some people come to bother me. Sometimes they are on drugs or are just having a bad day. But I usually ask them nicely not to come back and they either listen or when they come back, they will apologize,' said De la Peña. 'But no one has ever hurt me the way he did.' De la Peña says she was sexually assaulted, beaten with a skateboard and pepper-sprayed in a series of incidents that police have labeled a suspected hate crime. She says the motive for the attacks is clear: She's transgender. 'It's a transphobic crime more than anything," she said, mixing Spanish and English. "As long as the authorities don't stop this and as long as politics remains as it is, we will continue to suffer these types of attacks.' Read more: Hate crime attacks on a transgender woman under investigation by LAPD On a recent afternoon, the shopkeeper sat in the tight quarters of her store, putting on a full face of makeup. As she drew on her eyeliner and adjusted her wig, regular customers continued to come in. Some bought packs of Newports, others stopped by for cans of grape soda. Surrounded by crammed shelves of tinfoil, cooking oil and cases of water, De la Peña, who immigrated from El Salvador 35 years ago, described her store as the kind of place where she felt safe and everyone always greeted her with pleasantries. On April 8, she said, a man came in 'just as any other customer.' He purchased water and began to flirt with her. She remembered he called her 'pretty' and she politely declined, saying she 'wasn't interested.' About an hour later, he returned, shoved her to the ground, hit her over the head and began to sexually assault her, according an LAPD report and her own account of the incident. He allegedly stopped when he realized De la Peña was transgender. She recalled that he started to yell at her repeatedly shouting, 'Are you a f— tr—y? I'm going to kill you.' De la Peña said he eventually fled the scene and she called the police, who arrived about two hours later. 'I thought the nightmare was over and that it wasn't going to happen again,' she said. But the next day, April 9 at around 11 p.m., she said the suspect returned with two others. They lured her outside of the shop and began to beat her with a skateboard. Video surveillance footage captured the moment on camera. They are seen pulling her out onto the balcony and punching her repeatedly. De la Peña tried to fight back, eventually getting hold of the skateboard and hitting them. The main attacker stayed away for a few days and came back again on April 13, De la Peña said. She said she saw him on the security cameras, investigating the store's doorway. He returned, with others, on April 16 and 19, when they assaulted her with pepper spray. They splashed an unknown liquid on her and tried to use a Taser, which De la Peña said she managed to avoid. Read more: Deputies beat and tased unarmed Rancho Cucamonga man to death, lawsuit claims 'I am not a violent person. I am not aggressive. I am not problematic. I never thought I needed [things like pepper spray] because I never make any trouble. But as they kept returning, [my family] all thought they were going to kill me,' said De la Peña. Out of the five incidents where the attackers came to the Westlake storefront, De la Peña said the cops came three times — each time hours after the perpetrators fled. The LAPD issued a news release about the incidents on April 28, asking the public to help identify the suspects caught on camera. LAPD Rampart Division Det. Jose Hidalgo said officers are monitoring De la Peña's location and handing out crime alerts. A mounted unit is also patrolling the area, he said. 'We are working diligently and using all of our resources,' Hidalgo said. 'We have extra patrol and a specialized unit working on it. We're going to eventually catch them soon.' Before the attack, De la Peña said she would make most of her sales late at night. The shopkeeper, who lives in the store's back area, said she used to keep her doors open until late and sell items then. But since the assaults, she has only been opening her store during the daytime, out of fear. She said that because of the dip in sales, she is worried about paying the monthly rent. 'My life has changed a lot. For almost 30 years, I felt safe,' said De la Peña. 'Now, I am full of so many fears, so much panic. I don't think I will ever be the same again.' Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
03-05-2025
- Los Angeles Times
String of unsolved ‘transphobic' attacks target MacArthur Park shopkeeper
At her hole-in-the-wall convenience store across the street from MacArthur Park, Sabrina de la Peña has supplied cold beverages, household necessities and kind words for nearly 30 years. Despite issues with crime in the area, De la Peña, 61, said she never felt threatened by a customer until last month. Over the course of two weeks, she was repeatedly assaulted and harassed by an unidentified man now wanted by police. 'Sure, some people come to bother me. Sometimes they are on drugs or are just having a bad day. But I usually ask them nicely not to come back and they either listen or when they come back, they will apologize,' said De la Peña. 'But no one has ever hurt me the way he did.' De la Peña says she was sexually assaulted, beaten with a skateboard and pepper-sprayed in a series of incidents that police have labeled a suspected hate crime. She says the motive for the attacks is clear: She's transgender. 'It's a transphobic crime more than anything,' she said, mixing Spanish and English. 'As long as the authorities don't stop this and as long as politics remains as it is, we will continue to suffer these types of attacks.' On a recent afternoon, the shopkeeper sat in the tight quarters of her store, putting on a full face of makeup. As she drew on her eyeliner and adjusted her wig, regular customers continued to come in. Some bought packs of Newports, others stopped by for cans of grape soda. Surrounded by crammed shelves of tinfoil, cooking oil and cases of water, De la Peña, who immigrated from El Salvador 35 years ago, described her store as the kind of place where she felt safe and everyone always greeted her with pleasantries. On April 8, she said, a man came in 'just as any other customer.' He purchased water and began to flirt with her. She remembered he called her 'pretty' and she politely declined, saying she 'wasn't interested.' About an hour later, he returned, shoved her to the ground, hit her over the head and began to sexually assault her, according an LAPD report and her own account of the incident. He allegedly stopped when he realized De la Peña was transgender. She recalled that he started to yell at her repeatedly shouting, 'Are you a f— tr—y? I'm going to kill you.' De la Peña said he eventually fled the scene and she called the police, who arrived about two hours later. 'I thought the nightmare was over and that it wasn't going to happen again,' she said. But the next day, April 9 at around 11 p.m., she said the suspect returned with two others. They lured her outside of the shop and began to beat her with a skateboard. Video surveillance footage captured the moment on camera. They are seen pulling her out onto the balcony and punching her repeatedly. De la Peña tried to fight back, eventually getting hold of the skateboard and hitting them. The main attacker stayed away for a few days and came back again on April 13, De la Peña said. She said she saw him on the security cameras, investigating the store's doorway. He returned, with others, on April 16 and 19, when they assaulted her with pepper spray. They splashed an unknown liquid on her and tried to use a Taser, which De la Peña said she managed to avoid. 'I am not a violent person. I am not aggressive. I am not problematic. I never thought I needed [things like pepper spray] because I never make any trouble. But as they kept returning, [my family] all thought they were going to kill me,' said De la Peña. Out of the five incidents where the attackers came to the Westlake storefront, De la Peña said the cops came three times — each time hours after the perpetrators fled. The LAPD issued a news release about the incidents on April 28, asking the public to help identify the suspects caught on camera. LAPD Rampart Division Det. Jose Hidalgo said officers are monitoring De la Peña's location and handing out crime alerts. A mounted unit is also patrolling the area, he said. 'We are working diligently and using all of our resources,' Hidalgo said. 'We have extra patrol and a specialized unit working on it. We're going to eventually catch them soon.' Before the attack, De la Peña said she would make most of her sales late at night. The shopkeeper, who lives in the store's back area, said she used to keep her doors open until late and sell items then. But since the assaults, she has only been opening her store during the daytime, out of fear. She said that because of the dip in sales, she is worried about paying the monthly rent. 'My life has changed a lot. For almost 30 years, I felt safe,' said De la Peña. 'Now, I am full of so many fears, so much panic. I don't think I will ever be the same again.'
