A man was arrested on suspicion of allegedly committing a series of violent hate crimes against a trans shop owner in Westlake. The other two suspects are still very large.
Sabrina dela Peña, 61, told The Times that she has been operating her own convenience store across the street from MacArthur Park for nearly three decades without being threatened by customers.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, he threatened to kill her until April 8 after a man was sexually assaulted after refusing his progress and found out she was a transgender person. Police said he returned to her store after the initial attack and attacked her with two other suspects.
“My life has changed a lot. I have felt safe for nearly 30 years,” De La Peña said. "Now, I'm filled with a lot of fear, so panic. I don't think I'll be the same again."
LAPD announced Tuesday that Samuel Parros, 30, was arrested for the attack and booked for alleged attack with a deadly weapon. Police have posted photos of the remaining two suspects and are seeking public help to identify them.
De La Peña said she thought her nightmare was over after her first cross-phobic encounter on April 8, but the next night the man and two others attacked her at her store. The surveillance camera footage of the incident showed the men repeatedly hitting her and hitting her with a skateboard.
On April 16, Dela Peña was sprinkled with pepper by the same attacker. On April 19, one person threw an unknown liquid at her while another tried to investigate her.
LAPD initially released surveillance camera photos of the three men on April 28 to seek public help.
Images from the LAPD press release are images of three suspects sought in repeated attacks on a transgender woman in Westlake area.
On May 27, police arrested Paros, but the attack did not stop.
Dela Peña was attacked again at her shop on Saturday when Parros was detained. LAPD investigators believe the remaining two suspects were the cause of the latest attack, which caused serious harm to the store owner.
Anyone with information or who may be other victims of an attack can call the Rampart detective at LAPD at (213) 484-3495, or the Crime Blocker at (800) 222-8477.
Reporting the era of Cerys Davies contributed to this report.