Trans Woman Beaten in Hollywood Hate Crime Speaks Out
The transgender woman who was attacked in a Hollywood hate crime last month is speaking out about the attack, days after the Los Angeles Police Department released footage of the brutal incident.
Vivian Diego, 22, hopes speaking out will help police catch the men who beat her on May 31. She told CBS Los Angeles that after leaving her shift as a barista at Beso restaurant, which is reportedly owned by "Desperate Housewives" star Eva Longoria, she and a friend went to his apartment before going out. When they went outside, they saw the attackers down the street.
"Right when they see me, they started being malicious, verbally," Diego told the news station. She said moments later the attackers came up from behind and began beating her. "I was being kicked on and punched on. And then, I woke up in the hospital."
The footage released by the LAPD shows the men approaching Diego, and one angle shows the men kicking her as she lay on the ground.
"One of the members of the group ran after Vivian and struck her from behind, knocking her to the ground," Lt. Marc Reina told CBS Los Angeles. "The remaining members of the group then joined in brutally assaulting Vivian by repeatedly kicking her, even while she lay motionless on the sidewalk."
Diego said the attack was awful and she "wouldn't wish the pain I went through on my worst enemy."
Diego suffered a broken jaw, a shattered cheekbone and two cracked ribs. Police are investigating the beating as a hate crime. Diego's mouth is now wired shut.
"I am not letting this incident, this attack stop me from living my life," she said. "As you can see, I'm still fabulous."
City officials said they are offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the case.
"She deserves justice," Melissa Diego, Vivian Diego's sister, said. "Nobody deserves to get left for dead."