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At a convenient store with a wall hole across the street from MacArthur Park, Sabrina de La Pena has been offering cold drinks, home essentials and kind words for nearly 30 years.
Despite the crime issues in the area, 61-year-old Delapeña said she didn’t feel threatened by customers until last month. Over the course of two weeks, she was repeatedly assaulted and harassed by an unidentified man she now wanted from the police.
“It’s true, some people bother me. Sometimes they’re on drugs or just having a bad day. But I usually ask them well to not come back, they ask and when they come back, they apologise,” Delapeña said. “But no one has hurt me in his way.”
De La Pena says she was sexually assaulted, beaten on a skateboard and scattered in a series of incidents that police labelled as suspected hate crimes.
She says the motive for the attack is clear. She is transgender.
“It’s more of a transphobic crime than anything,” she said, mixing Spanish and English. “Unless the authorities stop this, as long as politics remains intact, we will continue to suffer from these types of attacks.”
On a recent afternoon, the shopkeeper sat in a solid quarter of her shop, full of makeup. The patrons continued to come in as she drew eyeliner and adjusted the wig. Some bought a Newport pack, while others stopped by for a can of grape soda.
Delapeña, who moved from El Salvador 35 years ago, is surrounded by shelves packed with tinfoils, cooking oil and water cases, explains her shop as a place where everyone always greeted with the comfort of their own.
On April 8, she said the man came “just like any other customer.”
LAPD has released images of three suspects sought after repeated attacks on Sabrina de La Pena.
He bought some water and began to cheate with her. She remembered that he had called her “pretty” and politely declined, saying that she was “not interested.” About an hour later he came back and shoved her into the ground, smacking her over her head, and began sexually assaulting her.
He is said to have stopped when he realized that Delapeña was transgender. She recalled that he began screaming and screaming repeatedly.
De La Pena said he eventually fled the scene and she called police. Police arrived about two hours later.
“The nightmare was over and I thought it would never happen again,” she said.
However, the following day, on April 9, around 11pm, she said the suspect had returned with the other two.
They invited her out of the store and began beating her on a skateboard. Video surveillance footage captured the camera moment. They pull her out onto the balcony and are seen punching her repeatedly. De La Pena tried to fight back, and eventually got a skateboard and slapped it.
The main attackers had been away for a few days and returned on April 13th, de la Pena said. She said he looked at him with security cameras and inspected the doorway of the store. He came back with others on April 16th and 19th when they attacked her with pepper spray. They splashed her with an unknown liquid and tried to use the Taser.
“I’m not a violent person. I’m not offensive. There’s no problem. I didn’t think I needed it [things like pepper spray] Because it doesn’t cause trouble. But when they returned, [my family] I thought everything would kill me,” de la Pena said.
Of the five cases in which the attackers came to the Westlake Storefront, Delapeña said the officers came three times – hours after the assailants fled.
LAPD issued a news release on the incident on April 28th, asking the public to help identify suspects caught on camera.
LAPD Rampart Division Det. Jose Ghidalgo said officers were monitoring the location of de la Pena and handing out crime warnings. He said the mounted units are also patrol the area.
“We’re committed to working and using all the resources,” Hidalgo said. “We have additional patrols and specialized units working on it. We’ll catch it right away in the end.”
Before the attack, Delapeña said he would make a large portion of the sales late at night. The owner, who lives in the lining of the store, said she opened the door late and then sold items. However, since the attack, she has only opened her shop in the daytime out of fear. She said she was worried about paying monthly rent due to lower sales.
“My life has changed a lot. For almost 30 years I felt safe,” de la Pena said. “Now I’m full of so many fears and panic. I don’t think I’ll ever be the same again.”
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