Three Trans Women Attacked in Hate Crime in Los Angeles

Three transgender women were assaulted and robbed early Monday in Los Angeles, and police are investigating the attack as a hate crime.

The crime occurred about 2:15 a.m. on Hollywood Boulevard, the Los Angeles Times reports. The victims, Joslyn Flawless, Eden the Doll, and Jaslene Whiterose, all have large Instagram followings. A man armed with a crowbar threatened to kill Flawless for being trans and demanded her jewelry and other possessions, Flawless wrote on Instagram, calling it the scariest moment of her life.

"He then forced me to hold his hand while he looks for my friends to kill them for being trans," she wrote. "Meanwhile men and WOMEN screaming that I'm a man and telling him to beat me." The women documented the crime on video, which has been viewed over a million times on Instagram. Whiterose was struck on the head with a bottle, and Eden the Doll was hit and had her phone stolen, the women said.

Several citizens called into a meeting of the Los Angeles Police Commission Tuesday seeking information about the crime, and they noted that an L.A. police car had sped by the scene without stopping, the Times reports. There was some delay before any officer arrived at the scene.

Police Chief Michel Moore said an officer did drive by on the way to an emergency call, and the department is investigating if that officer's action and the response to the attack were appropriate. There will be a review of body-cam footage, he said, asserting that he is "very concerned about any hate crimes."

Police asking that anyone with information call detectives at (213) 972-2934 or report anonymous tips at (800) 222-8477.