‘Scariest moment of my life’: Instagram influencer attacked in hate crime
An Instagram influencer and her two friends have detailed the terrifying moment a man threatened them with a crowbar while onlookers laughed.
The transgender women, Eden Estrada, Jaslene Whiterose and Joslyn Flawless claim they were assaulted and robbed in Hollywood in Los Angeles about 2.15am Monday (local time).
In video posted online, a man is seen holding a crowbar and following Flawless up the street.
“Scariest moment of my life,” she wrote on Instagram.
“He held a crowbar to my face and threatened to kill me unless I stripped my shoes off and gave him my jewellery 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, who has more than 65,000 followers on Instagram, claimed onlookers were screaming that she was a man.
The Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement they were looking for a suspect who committed a robbery and hate crime in Hollywood.
“The suspect approached the victims and offered the buy them merchandise at a store at the 6500 block of Hollywood Boulevard. The suspect refused to pay for their merchandise and the victims left,” police said.
“Later, the suspect approached one of the victims with a metal bar and demanded her shoes and bracelet. In fear, the victim complied, the suspect grabbed her by the hand, and they walked together for a short distance before she was able to escape.
“A short time later, the suspect assaulted one of the original victim’s friends with a bottle and knocked her to the ground. Both victims are transgender women, and the suspect made derogatory remarks about their status during the crime.”
Estrada, who goes by Eden the Doll on social media and has almost half a million followers on Instagram, told KCAL9 it was the worst day of her life.
She claimed after they were robbed people standing across the road yelled they were “trannies” and the suspect began attacking them, knocking one of the women out after hitting her over the head.
“My friend completely collapsed,” Estrada said.
“I’m not a doctor. I don’t know if she’s breathing. I’m trying my hardest to help her. I’m begging people for help. I’m screaming for help.”
In the video a group of people can be seen gathering around the women, but instead of answering their cries for help, they are filming the ordeal on their mobile phones.
Due to Estrada’s large social media following, she was able to retrieve the video and send it to police, who are now appealing for help to identify the attacker.
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