A 30-year-old guy was taken into custody by Los Angeles police after he allegedly assaulted a transgender entrepreneur in the Westlake District who was 61 years old.
Samuel Parros was taken into custody by Los Angeles Police Department detectives on May 27 and charged with assault with a deadly weapon.
Three individuals, including him, are accused of repeatedly attacking Sabrina De La Pena in her store over the course of the last two months.
“They punched me. They kicked me. I tried to go outside, they pushed me inside,” De La Pena stated. “I received more than 50 punches. After that, I started screaming, and when nobody was coming, I said OK and asked God why?”
According to investigators, one of Parros’s suspected accomplices attempted to flirt with De La Pena on April 8, which sparked the string of attacks.
After she rejected his advances, the unidentified male suspect reportedly departed the business, according to detectives.
According to LAPD, he allegedly returned soon after, sexually abused De La Pena, and threatened to murder her after learning that she was transsexual.
According to detectives, he thrashed her and came back several times with more suspects.
According to authorities, the gang of guys allegedly pepper-sprayed De La Pena, threw an unknown liquid on her, and hit her with a skateboard in three different incidents while another suspect attempted to taser her.
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Since April, she has reportedly been attacked six times, according to De La Pena. Over the course of her 40 years as the owner of two stores in the Westlake District, she has never experienced any issues.
“I need to move from this area because, I can’t no more,” De La Pena stated.
Police said the most recent beating occurred on May 31. According to the LAPD, De La Pena suffered severe injuries. At the time of the alleged beating, Parros was already under arrest. The two surviving suspects are being sought by police.
Contact Rampart Division Robbery Detectives at (213) 484-3495 if you are a witness or potential victim with information regarding the incident or the suspects. LAPD requests that tips be sent to 1(877) 527-3247 after hours.
If you would like to remain anonymous, you can fill out a form at www.lacrimestoppers.org or call LA Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
