LAPD seeking hate-crime suspect who robbed, bashed three transgender women
Three transgender social-media influencers in Los Angeles were robbed and assaulted by a man in what police are investigating as a hate crime, according to officials and reports.
The LAPD says the suspect approached the three victims — identified by the LA Times as influencers Eden the Doll, Jaslene Whiterose and Josyln Flawless — early Monday on Hollywood Boulevard and offered to buy them merchandise.
He then refused to pay for the items and the trio left — but the suspect later approached them again.
Police say he demanded Flawless’ shoes and bracelet as he threatened her with a crowbar, and then struck Whiterose with a bottle as he made “derogatory remarks” about their gender identities, the LA Times reports.
Footage of the incident, part of which was captured on video, was later posted to Instagram by the three victims.
“Scariest moment of my life,” Flawless, who has more than 69,000 followers, recalled on Instagram.
“He held a crow bar to my face and threatened to kill me unless I stripped off my shoes and gave him my jewelry and all my possessions. He said if I was trans he would kill me. He then forced me to hold his hand while he looks for my friends to kill them for being trans.”
Flawless also claimed witnesses standing nearby were yelling at the suspect, “screaming that I’m a man” while egging him on to assault her.
Whiterose, meanwhile, posted a 5-minute video on Instagram saying she “got beat up” during the attack.
Eden the Doll, who has more than 492,000 Instagram followers, said she was “completely traumatized” by the incident, during which she said her cellphone was stolen.
The LAPD was still hunting for the man as of Thursday, a police spokesman told The Post.
“It is being investigated as a hate incident,” Officer William Cooper said.