A 61-year-old transgender woman in Los Angeles was sexually assaulted, beaten, and pepper-sprayed after weeks of continuous harassment.Â
The victim, identified as Sabrina La Peña, has been operating a convenience store across the street from McArthur Park for the past thirty years. She says that even though the area had crime issues, she never had any issues until this incident.
On April 8, Peña says that a man came into the store who she thought was like any other customer. He allegedly started flirting with her, and after she rebuffed his advances, he left. An hour later, he returned and hit her, knocking her down, and then sexually assaulted her. According to Peña, he stopped when he realized she was transgender, after which he started threatening to kill her.Â
Peña managed to escape and called the police, who arrived almost two hours later.
The next day, the man returned with two other men and started beating her again. Peña fought back, as she hit him with his skateboard, after which they fled the scene. But her nightmare was far from over. On April 13, the man returned again, but he didn’t get inside the shop. Instead, he surveyed the place and the entrance.Â
On April 16 and 19, the man returned with his friends, and they assaulted her with pepper spray, an unknown liquid, to the face, and they tried to tase her, which she managed to avoid.Â
Out of all the five incidents, she says the police only came three times, and each time they came, in hours after the perpetrators had fled.Â
“My life has changed a lot. For almost 30 years, I felt safe,” De la Peña said about the incident. “Now, I am full of so many fears, so much panic. I don’t think I will ever be the same again.”
The attack on Peña wasn’t isolated. A month before, a trans woman in Pacoima was shot to death by the police after she called 911 asking for help, saying she was being held against her will at a motel.Â
The woman identified as Linda Becerra Moran died three weeks after being taken off life support.
The officer was identified as Jacob Sanchez of the Foothill Division. He is on temporary leave while the incident is being investigated by the Force Investigation Division (FID).
LAPD body cam footage shows them in the motel room speaking with Becerra Moran and examining the back of her head, where she claimed to have been hit with a bottle multiple times. She becomes agitated over time, telling them to leave. The officers withdraw to the doorway and deploy their weapons when Becerra Moran, in the back of the room, holds a knife to her neck, continuing to tell the officers to leave.Â
As she takes a step closer to the center of the room, Sanchez opens fire, hitting her in the chest. Becerra Moran is seen dropping the knife and collapsing on the motel bed. Although she is unconscious, officers then proceed to flip her over and handcuff her before administering aid.
According to a report released in December of 2024, hate crimes against transgender people have increased by 125%.
With so many anti trans bills passed by the Trump administration, this number is only going to increase, says a Los Angeles LGBT Center representative.
A press release was released by the LGBT Center of Los Angeles, which decries President Trump’s anti trans bills. “The Los Angeles LGBT Center vehemently decries President Trump’s executive order to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education, a dangerous move that threatens the rights, safety, and futures of millions of LGBTQ+ youth.”
Following Governor Newsom’s decision to cut over $17 million in dedicated funding for LGBTQ+ women and non-binary health programs, the Los Angeles LGBT Center CEO, Joe Hollendoner, issued the following statement:  Â
“The Los Angeles LGBT Center is outraged by Governor Gavin Newsom’s decision to eliminate critical funding dedicated to the health of lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer women, trans men, and non-binary people—populations already facing severe health disparities and systemic neglect.”
They also urged Governor Gavin Newsom to rethink his decision in the statement. “We call on the Governor and the State legislature to reverse this harmful decision by honoring the promise made by the legislature in 2019 and renewing this critical funding for next year. The health and safety of LGBTQ+ women and non-binary people cannot be optional. We will not go back.”
