Former UCLA water polo player faces sexual assault charges
Former UCLA student Hakop Kaplanyan pled not guilty to forcible rape and other charges. At a monday bail hearing, his lawyer asked the judge to lower Kaplanyan’s bail from $590,000 to $200,000. (Austin Yu/Daily Bruin)
By Erin Donnelly
March 3, 2014 2:06 p.m.
This post was updated at 7:20 p.m.
Former UCLA water polo player Hakop Kaplanyan pled not guilty Monday to forcible rape and seven other charges, according to a Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office release.
Kaplanyan, 19, was arrested in connection with alleged assaults involving three victims between Oct. 1, 2012 and April 2, 2013, according to the release.
The Glendale native is being charged with felony counts of forcible rape, false imprisonment by violence, possession of matter depicting a minor engaging in sexual conduct and a misdemeanor count of sexual battery by restraint. He also faces two felony counts each of sexual penetration by a foreign object and assault with intent to commit rape, according to the release.
If convicted of all charges, Kaplanyan could be sentenced to more than 37 years in state prison. University police are currently investigating the case.
Kaplanyan was suspended from UCLA in early April, shortly after he was arrested that month on suspicion of raping a female student in a UCLA residential hall. He was later released on $200,000 bail and no charges were filed at the time.
In April, his lawyer told the press that Kaplanyan and a victim were dating and had consensual sex. He vocally protested his suspension and his friends and family voiced support for Kaplanyan online, using the hashtag #SupportHakopKaplanyan hundreds of times on Twitter and creating a YouTube video, “Hakop Kaplanyan – Innocence 2013,” which now has more than 130,000 views.
“A goal-oriented UCLA freshman is facing a rough obstacle, being accused of actions he did not commit. Our friend Hakop is trying to prove his innocence,” the video said.
Kaplanyan is no longer a student at UCLA, university spokesman Tod Tamberg said in an emailed statement in November.
Kaplanyan is currently being held in the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center on $590,000 bail.
At a bail hearing on Monday, Kaplanyan’s lawyer George Mgdesyan asked the judge to lower the bail to $200,000. Judge George Lomeli decided to keep the bail at its original amount given the severity of the offenses.
“(The judge’s decision) was disappointing … But we understand they’re serious charges,” Mgdesyan said at a press conference outside the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in Downtown Los Angeles on Monday. “At this point, our next step is to fight the case and get the truth out.”
Kaplanyan’s next court date is set for April 29 at 8:30 a.m. at the Foltz Criminal Justice Center.
Compiled by Erin Donnelly and Yael Levin, Bruin senior staff. Contributing reports from Sam Hoff, Bruin reporter.
