One man has been arrested on suspicion of taking part in a string of violent hate crimes against a transgender shopkeeper in Westlake who was sexually assaulted, pepper-sprayed, punched and hit with a skateboard, authorities said. Two other suspects remain at large.
Sabrina de la Peña, 61, told The Times that she operated her convenience store across the street from MacArthur Park for nearly three decades without feeling threatened by a customer.
That was until April 8, when a man sexually assaulted her after she rejected his advances, and upon discovering she was transgender, he threatened to kill her, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. After the initial assault, police say, he returned to her store and attacked her multiple times alongside two other suspects.
“My life has changed a lot. For almost 30 years, I felt safe,” De la Peña said. “Now, I am full of so many fears, so much panic. I don’t think I will ever be the same again.”
The LAPD announced Tuesday that Samuel Parros, 30, had been arrested in connection with the attacks and booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon. Police have released photos of the remaining two suspects and are seeking the public’s help in identifying them.
After the first transphobic encounter on April 8, De la Peña said, she thought her nightmare was over, but the following night the man and two others attacked her at her shop. Surveillance camera footage of the incident shows the men repeatedly punching her and striking her with a skateboard.
On April 16, De la Peña was pepper-sprayed by the same attackers. On April 19, one man threw an unknown liquid on her, while another attempted to tase her.
The LAPD initially released surveillance camera photos of the three men on April 28, asking the public’s help in identifying them.
On May 27, police arrested Parros, but the attacks did not stop.
While Parros was in custody, De la Peña was assaulted yet again at her store Saturday. LAPD investigators believe the two remaining suspects are responsible for the most recent attack, which left the shopkeeper with serious injuries.
Anyone with information or who may have been a victim of other attacks can call LAPD’s Rampart Division detectives at (213) 484-3495 or call Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477.
Times reporting fellow Cerys Davies contributed to this report.
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