Second Suspect in Brutal Beating of Transgendered Woman Arrested

By City News Service and Craig Clough

A second suspect has been arrested in the beating of a transgendered woman May on Hollywood Boulevard, according to the Los Angeles Times.

No other details on the arrest, or the suspect's name, were immediately available. 

Nicol Shakhnazaryan, a 21-year-old Los Angeles man, was charged in June with the beating of the transgender woman, who was attacked on Hollywood Boulevard and hospitalized for a week with serious injuries.

Shakhnazaryan pleaded not guilty to charges of battery with serious bodily injury, assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury and a special allegation of great bodily injury.

Shakhnazaryan faces up to eight years in prison if convicted. He was allegedly among a group of men who attacked the 22-year-old victim in the 6200 block of Hollywood Boulevard, near a Metro stop, about 2:15 a.m. on May 31.

Security video circulated by police showed the young men knocking down the victim, who is wearing a sheer pink or orange dress, then delivering several kicks to the head and body.

The woman, identified by police only as "Vivian," suffered a broken jaw, broken ribs, two fractured eye sockets and other injuries that kept her hospitalized for seven days, according to authorities.

A $25,000 reward has been offered in the case. Detectives set up an email account for receiving tips. Anyone with information about the attackers should write to hollywoodcrimetips@gmail.com., or call detectives at (213) 972-2967.