Finding dogs inside a car leads to a hate crime probe in North Hollywood, LAPD says

Los Angeles detectives are investigating a possible hate crime after a transgender woman claimed she was assaulted and injured because of her gender identity, police told NBC4 Investigates Friday.

The ordeal began when the woman spotted three dogs locked inside a hot car Wednesday afternoon with a window rolled down, according to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD).

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As the woman expressed concern for the tiny gap left at the top of the window, the owner of the car and dogs came out and began arguing with her, police said. When the verbal confrontation escalated, the man made homophobic remarks and struck her with a possible metal pipe, the woman told the LAPD.

After the woman escaped the scene and received medical treatment for her hand injury, she called police and police took a felony hate crime report.

The woman told the LAPD that she believed the altercation became heated because of her gender status, authorities told NBCLA.

Detectives Wednesday expected to make an arrest in the case under the ongoing investigation, according to Capt. Warner Castillo.