Police look for suspects in string of vicious hate crimes against 61-year-old trans woman
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Sabrina de la Peña was attacked inside the store she owns and operates in the city's Westlake district on April 8.
'The victim rejected his advances, and he left,' the LAPD said in a press release. 'However, the suspect returned a short time later and pushed her to the ground. The suspect sexually assaulted the victim and discovered she was a transgender woman. The suspect pulled away and threatened to kill the victim.'
Related: Anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes skyrocket in Los Angeles
The suspect left, but returned later with two other teens.
'During one incident, the suspect used a skateboard to strike the victim,' police said in the press release. 'On another occasion, the suspect pepper-sprayed the victim. In the final incident, the suspect threw an unknown liquid at the victim while another suspect attempted to stun her with a Taser.'
'I was screaming for help, but nobody around giving help to me,' Sabrina de la Peña told local The CW affiliate KTLA. 'He take me out to the alleyway and he start beating me outside.'
Some of the attacks were caught on video. In one attack, one of the suspects is seen waiting outside the door of de la Peña's store with a skateboard, which he uses to forcefully strike her as de la Peña exits the building.
She said the attackers have returned twice since the initial assault, and that the entire ordeal has left her shaken.
'I want to ask the community to help me find those guys, help the police catch those guys. If not, they're going to kill me,' de la Peña told KTLA. 'Now, I don't feel safe. I feel unsafe in the alley. I cannot work because I only thinking he going to come back.'
Anyone with additional information about the identity of the suspects can contact Rampart Division Robbery Detectives at 213-484-3495. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous should call the L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477) or go directly to www.lacrimestoppers.org. Lastly, tipsters may also download the 'P3 Tips' mobile application and select the L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers as their local program.
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Miami Herald
41 minutes ago
- Miami Herald
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After the WSJ story broke Thursday, Trump asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to release 'any and all pertinent grand jury testimony, subject to court approval' that was gathered by New York federal prosecutors in 2019. But just because people associated with Epstein doesn't make them complicit in his crimes. The DOJ and FBI have said there is no 'Epstein client list,' as in a list of men to whom he pimped out underage girls. What does exist is Epstein's 'little black book,' bulging with 1,971 names, uncovered in 2009 when his butler tried to sell it. It has been the subject of intense reporting, but you can't judge the names guilty just because Epstein had their number. 'There are a lot of names associated with Epstein that had nothing to do with Epstein's conduct,' broadcaster Bill O'Reilly said last week, quoting Trump. 'They maybe had lunch with him or maybe had some correspondence. 'If that name gets out, those people are destroyed — because there's not going to be any context. The media doesn't care about context — so you can't do that.' Many of the now-adult victims of Epstein were cheated of their chance to confront their tormentor in court because he died in pretrial detention. But the judge allowed them to testify in the Manhattan federal courtroom where Epstein would have been tried, to tell the world what his sexual depravity meant. I was in that courtroom in August 2019 to witness this display of feminine courage as 17 young women lined up at a microphone, heads held high, to place their suffering on the record. Six others had their lawyers read out letters. Through tears and shaky voices, they told their stories so we would understand the toll of broken trust. 'I was nothing more than a teenage prostitute. I was his slave,' said one victim who was a 16-year-old virgin when she says Epstein raped her. The most outspoken victim, Virginia Giuffre, who reportedly committed suicide three months ago, told the court: 'Epstein did not act alone.' Get Miranda's latest take Sign up for Devine Online, the newsletter from Miranda Devine Thanks for signing up! Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Want even more news? Check out more newsletters Giuffre, who fell prey to Epstein at 16, alleged she was 'passed around like a platter of fruit' to 'powerful men,' including Prince Andrew, who settled out of court after she sued him for sexual abuse. She accused other powerful men, but never Trump. In fact, in her 2015 memoir, she explicitly ruled out Trump. As much as the liberal media is salivating at the prospect of another Get-Trump pile-on, there is just nothing there. 'X is not reality' Meanwhile, the same media is ignoring the latest bombshell revelation in the Russiagate scandal unveiled last week by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, where the evidence of wrongdoing by President Barack Obama and his henchmen exists and is compelling. Trump is having the last laugh, anyway, as CNN pollster Harry Enten pointed out last week. 'If anything Donald Trump's approval rating has gone up since this whole Epstein saga started,' Enten said. 'He is at the apex or close to it in terms of his popularity [with Republicans], Epstein Files complaints or not. Who knew Twitter and X are not reality.' It just goes to prove the noisiest loudmouths who claim to represent MAGA just represent themselves.
