A 22-year-old man has been charged with sexually assaulting teenage girls after sneaking into Burbank High School.
Patrick Nazarian was charged with felony sexual battery by restraint and child molesting and battery, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said. Nazarian, a Glendale resident and graduate of the school, gained entry to the campus Tuesday morning through an unlocked gate in the student parking lot, according to police.
Nazarian pleaded not guilty, according to the district attorney’s office.
Nazarian attacked three girls, according to authorities. He allegedly followed a 14-year-old girl into a bathroom and sexually assaulted her. Then, the DA’s office said, he groped another 14-year-old girl near a stairwell before grabbing a 17-year-old girl who was able to escape and tell a teacher.
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School employees found Nazarian and held him until police arrived, the district attorney’s office said.
“Schools are meant to be a sanctuary for our children where they can learn and feel safe in their environment,” District Attorney George Gascón said in a written statement. “That sense of safety was shattered when these girls were attacked on campus. While I know that the trauma they suffered won’t soon heal, I’m thankful to the heroic actions of the school employees who apprehended the suspect and held him for law enforcement.”
Nazarian’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 29. Burbank Unified School District, meanwhile, said it was conducting its own internal investigation into the incident.
