The Los Angeles District Attorney did not file charges against a UCLA water polo player who was arrested earlier this month on suspicion of raping another student, said a spokeswoman at the Los Angeles Airport Courthouse.
The case is currently “under review,” a District Attorney spokeswoman said. She declined to comment further.
Hakop Kaplanyan’s court appearance was scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Thursday morning, and his family and friends showed up in support, according to his lawyer, Berc Agopoglu, in a statement on the Facebook page of his law firm.
Kaplanyan plans to appeal his suspension from UCLA in a hearing scheduled for Friday with Robert Naples, associate vice chancellor and dean of students, according to another statement posted on Facebook.
UCLA declined to comment on how the District Attorney’s decision would affect Kaplanyan’s suspension, according to Phil Hampton, a university spokesman. UCLA Athletics declined to comment on Kaplanyan’s status with the water polo team, said Nick Ammazzaloroso, a UCLA Athletics spokesman.
Kaplanyan was arrested and later released on $200,000 bail. Police said Kaplanyan was with the female student in his dorm room in the early evening when he allegedly raped her. She reported the incident to police that night.
Kaplanyan and his lawyer will appear on CBS News tonight, according to the Facebook statement.
Days after Kaplanyan’s arrest, he told local news stations he was innocent and wanted to return to school.
Members of the Armenian community centered around Glendale, Kaplanyan’s hometown, voiced support for him on the web, using the hashtag #SupportHakopKaplanyan hundreds of times on Twitter and creating a YouTube video, which gathered more than 54,000 views in 10 days.
In the video, titled “Hakop Kaplanyan – Innocence 2013,” 18 people unaffiliated with UCLA who identify themselves as Kaplanyan’s friends and family speak about the student’s character and reputation as a water polo player.
“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,” said the people in the video, which was made by Henrik Ghantarchyan and Lily Chorbadjian, both longtime friends of Kaplanyan and Glendale residents.
Razmig Sarkissian, a fourth-year English student at UCLA and former president of the Armenian Students’ Association, said he believed it was unfair of the video to point to Kaplanyan’s athletic accomplishments to demonstrate his innocence.
Compiled by Erin Donnelly and Loic Hostetter, Bruin senior staff.
o booo poor rapist like wtf our culture is obsessed with victim blaming this is bullshit
Does anyone care to remember the pain and agony that Duke lacrosse players underwent for being falsely (and fraudulently) accused of rape? We as a society are quick to jump to baseless conclusions and try people like Hakop in the court of public opinion. Even the DA who was after these innocent guys was eventually removed and disbarred for “dishonesty, fraud, deceit and misrepresentation”…by all means Daily Bruin, reference this case: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duke_lacrosse_case
Although yes, I agree with having that the innocent until proven guilty mindset, as a sexual assault survivor myself, I don’t see the logic for anyone to falsely accuse anyone of rape. No one benefits from accusing people of anything and if anything, sexual assault survivors are criminalized to a degree. AS an assault victim, my actions and words are policed, the restrainting order seem to protect the accused more than it did me (long story), and I’m constantly told to go to the psychologist, which would have been fine if people also told the rapist to go to the psychologist but THEY DIDN’T. So your sympathy is doesn’t make sense. I feel like we should stand with sexual assault victims and as a university we failed to do that. What does that say about our values when we focus more on protecting rapists? We fucked up and its time to fix that.
You’re right, there is no logic for anyone to falsely accuse anyone, because quite frankly and simply – there is no logic or reasoning. It centers on the so-called accuser’s plight to gain personal attention or perhaps to further some sort of ill-conceived agenda. Unfortunately and I stress this again, unfortunately, false accusers make it extremely unfair for those who have suffered sexual assault or future victims of sexual assault, because people would start casting doubt on them. I do not tolerate any form of assault and I strongly believe those accused of sexual assault should be aggressively prosecuted. But we should also understand that an individual falsely accused of rape has his/her life turned upside down…this is not fair and this chiefly stems from the court of public opinion (news, social media). This case is not any different. I’m sure everyone, including law enforcement, is taking this case seriously. We were not there and I trust that our system will be fair to the parties involved.
Sure. Stand with sexual assault victims. I’m all for that….if they’ve been assaulted.
Unfortunately, many black men beaten and lynched up through the 1970’s saw the logic. Some cultures still hold onto some semblance of racial purity, despite successive generations weakening the hold. Women who are afraid of losing standing in society or culture or being penalized or even ostracized may feel they have no choice but to cry rape if they are caught with “someone they should not be with”.
I provided the statement above to offer an explanation. I make no judgement on this case and await its resolution through the court system.
You’ve gotta be kidding me. This guy deserves castration.
Go back to the Sudan.
No mention of the victim, how she’s doing, what’s going on with her, how to support her, or the masses of people who believe her.
If the bitch was a victim they would press charges.
Uhm…
The point that I THINK you were trying to make…that being that you need to thoroughly review evidence in a rape allegation…is perfectly valid. Why you need to call her a bitch when the case is still under review is a little odd.
If you’re not a fan of the ladies, just say so.
Why are there always 2 ‘camps’ before these things go to trial…the ‘bitch is a golddigger’ camp and the ‘castrate the rapist’ camp? If a woman is truly assaulted, it is an AWFUL thing, and she needs support. And if a man is falsely accused of assault, it is AWFUL, and he needs our support. And we don’t know which is true yet.
How about we act like rational adults and try to be fair and supportive to both parties while evidence is being evaluated? I hate to be the kumbaya idiot, but holy cow you people are irrational.