The Los Angeles Police Department is appealing to the public for assistance in identifying and apprehending a group of men responsible for multiple assaults on a 61-year-old transgender woman in the Westlake District.
Authorities believe the same individuals committed a prior attack on the victim in April.
The most recent incident occurred on May 31 at approximately 11:38 p.m. The group returned to the victim’s location and severely assaulted her, causing serious injuries, before fleeing the scene.
According to the LAPD, the pattern of harassment began on April 8. One of the suspected attackers entered the victim’s store and propositioned her. After she rejected his advances, he left but soon returned, pushing her to the ground. The suspect then sexually assaulted the victim and, upon discovering she was a transgender woman, pulled away and threatened to kill her.
Since that initial attack, the same man, often accompanied by other individuals, has allegedly returned to the victim’s location multiple times, committing further hate crimes. These incidents include striking her with a skateboard, deploying pepper spray, throwing an unknown liquid substance at her, and attempting to stun her with a Taser.
Detectives suspect there may be other unidentified victims and have released photographs of the alleged attackers in hopes of identifying them.
How to Provide Information:
Anyone who has been a victim or possesses additional information regarding the suspects’ identities is urged to contact Rampart Division Robbery Detectives at 213-484-3495.
For calls during non-business hours or on weekends, please dial 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (1-877-527-3247).
Those wishing to remain anonymous can contact L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477) or visit www.lacrimestoppers.org. Tipsters can also download the “P3 Tips” mobile application and select the L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers as their local program.
