Police sought the public’s assistance Wednesday in locating the third suspect in an alleged sexual assault of a transgender woman in the Westlake district..
Detectives identified the suspect as 23-year-old Paul Alan Thomas, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
Thomas was described as a 5-foot-10-inch-tall Black man weighing 140 pounds.
Officers began investigating reports of a 61-year-old transgender woman who was sexually assaulted on April 8 after rejecting one of the suspect’s advances.
Police said the victim was inside her store moments before the suspect entered the business and began flirting with her.
After being rejected, he left and then returned a short time later and pushed her to the ground. The suspect allegedly sexually assaulted the victim, and after discovering she was a transgender woman, pulled away from the victim and threatened to kill her, police said.
”Subsequently, the same suspect returned to the location multiple times with additional suspects and committed hate crimes against the victim,” police said in a statement.
A preliminary investigation led detectives to determine that the suspect had used a skateboard to strike the victim and pepper-sprayed the victim during a separate occasion.
The suspect was also accused of throwing an unspecified liquid on the victim during another incident, while another suspect attempted to stun her with a Taser, police said.
On May 31, shortly before 11:40 p.m., the suspects returned to the victim’s store and physically assaulted her, inflicting serious injuries before fleeing the scene upon officers’ arrival.
Samuel Parros was identified as one of the suspects by Rampart Division detectives on May 27 and taken into custody on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and great bodily injury, police said.
Anyone with information regarding the case was urged to call LAPD Rampart Detective Jose Hidalgo at 213-713-2932. Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or visit lacrimestoppers.org.