Los Angeles authorities have charged a 52-year-old man with indecent exposure at a Korean spa, two months after a viral Instagram video sparked anti-trans protests. The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) announced on Thursday that an arrest warrant had been issued for Darren Merager, who faces five felony counts of indecent exposure at Wi Spa in the Koreatown neighbourhood.
The charges, filed on Monday, follow a video posted in June showing a woman confronting staff about seeing a “man” naked in the women’s section. Staff responded that they must comply with the law and not discriminate based on gender identity. The video was widely shared on rightwing forums and far-right sites, leading to misinformation and abuse against trans women.
LAPD said five individuals had come forward in July with allegations of indecent exposure on the same day. Police corroborated the claims after interviews and evidence review. Merager has been a registered sex offender since 2006, with previous convictions for indecent exposure in Los Angeles in 2002 and 2003, and a pending case from 2018.
Merager’s gender identity remains unclear; an LAPD spokesperson could not comment, and attempts to reach him were unsuccessful. The incident led to two violent protests where members of the Proud Boys and anti-trans demonstrators clashed with trans-rights supporters. At one rally, two people were stabbed, one seriously injured.
A trans woman, Precious Child, was falsely accused online of being the perpetrator and received violent threats. The woman who filmed the video, known as “Cubana Angel”, has not publicly identified herself and declined to comment. A Los Angeles LGBTQ+ newspaper questioned whether the incident may have been staged, but police eventually filed charges after victims came forward.
