'Received more than 50 punches': Men wanted for attacking woman with skateboard, pepper spray, unknown liquid, and Taser after she rebuffed one of their advances, police say

A California antheral is wanted by instrumentality enforcement aft a 62-year-old pistillate was attacked with a skateboard, capsicum spray, and an chartless liquid successful abstracted incidents, Golden State authorities say.

Paul Alan Thomas, 24, is wanted by the Los Angeles Police Department implicit the attacks connected Sabrina de la Peña. A 2nd fishy has already been arrested; a 3rd fishy has yet to beryllium identified.

De la Peña owns 2 convenience stores successful the Westlake District successful cardinal Los Angeles and has done concern for astir 40 years, according to interviews with assorted nationalist and section media outlets.

The occupation began successful April 2025, the unfortunate told West Coast The CW flagship tv presumption KTLA. The latest alleged onslaught came successful May 2025.

"This is the sixth attack," she said astatine the time. "They tried to termination me."

This week, constabulary identified Thomas arsenic 1 of the men responsible.

In surveillance footage of the attack, a antheral is seen hiding extracurricular the victim's doorway holding a skateboard, constabulary said. Then, the antheral is seen rushing inside. The antheral utilized the skateboard to brutally bushed De la Peña, constabulary said. Then, the antheral dragged the pistillate extracurricular wherever helium continued beating her portion an accomplice looks on, KTLA reported.

"They punched me. They kicked me. I tried to spell outside, they pushed maine inside," De la Peña told CBS News Los Angeles past year. "I received much than 50 punches. After that, I started screaming, and erstwhile cipher was coming, I said OK and asked God why?"

In the aftermath of that incident, the unfortunate was kicked to the ground, near with a divided lip, and had $30,000 currency stolen, KTLA reported.

On May 27, 2025, the LAPD arrested Samuel Parros, 30, for allegedly taking portion successful 1 of the anterior attacks — noting that helium was successful custody earlier the sixth onslaught occurred connected May 31, 2025.

During those earlier incidents, De la Peña was pepper-sprayed, doused with liquid, and astir shocked with a Taser-like device, constabulary said. During 1 specified incident, an attacker tried to sprout her twice, but she was saved erstwhile the weapon misfired, De la Peña told the TV station.

An LAPD press release summarizes the concern arsenic follows:

[T]he aforesaid fishy returned to the determination aggregate times with further suspects and committed hatred crimes against the victim. During 1 incident, the fishy utilized a skateboard to onslaught the victim. On different occasion, the fishy pepper-sprayed the victim. In the last incident, the fishy threw an chartless liquid astatine the unfortunate portion different fishy attempted to stun her with a Taser.

The victim, for her part, believes her individuality arsenic a transgender pistillate was the information for the attacks.

"Believe me," she told KTLA successful June 2025, begging for extortion from instrumentality enforcement. "When are you going to bash thing for me? What are you waiting for? You're waiting for them to termination me."

Law enforcement, for its part, agreed with the unfortunate that the crimes apt had a root successful anti-transgender bigotry.

"This bid [of attacks] is being investigated arsenic a hatred crime," LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell antecedently said. "We're requesting nationalist assistance successful locating these suspects, and we're asking for their assistance successful identifying and apprehending the suspects."

The archetypal onslaught occurred aft 1 of the suspects tried to flirt with the unfortunate successful her store but near aft she rebuffed his advances, constabulary told CBS News. The antheral returned aboriginal that aforesaid day, sexually assaulted De la Peña, and past threatened to termination her erstwhile helium learned she was transgender, according to the LAPD.

In July 2025, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors offered a $10,000 reward for the apprehension and condemnation of the men responsible.

Due to the quality of the attacks, constabulary judge determination are apt further victims successful akin crimes and privation them to travel forward.