Police are searching for a man who stabbed a transgender woman three times in Hollywood in the early hours of Thursday morning.

The attack occurred around 2am, near Franklin Ave. and the 101 Freeway entrance ramp, as the victim was walking alone and talking on the phone. She was stabbed twice in the right arm and once in the left and was treated at the scene, police said. She reportedly did not want to be taken to a nearby hospital.

The woman said the attacker, whom she described as a man wearing a dark brown jacket, made a threatening remark before stabbing her. She said at first she thought he had punched her and only later realized what was happening.

While some media outlets have said police are investigating the incident as a hate crime, but according to MyNewsLA.com police were not able to confirm those reports.

NBC4 reported that the details of the case were being sent to the Los Angeles Police Department's Hate Crime Task Force. NewNowNext has reached out to LAPD for confirmation and this article will be updated if more information becomes available.

Already this year in the United States alone there have been at least 12 transgender people killed, including trans woman Viccky Gutierrez, who died in January when her apartment was intentionally set on fire.