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BURBANK (CNS) - A 22-year-old man has been charged with attacks on three teenage girls on the campus of Burbank High School.
Patrick Nazarian -- described by police as a former Burbank High School student who graduated in 2018 -- is charged with one count each of sexual battery by restraint, child molesting and battery, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.
Nazarian pleaded not guilty Wednesday and was ordered to remain jailed on $45,000 bail while awaiting his next court appearance March 29.
Burbank police said Nazarian, a Glendale resident, gained access to the campus Monday through an unlocked door in the student parking lot.
Police were called to the school at 902 N. Third St. around 9 a.m. Monday, and a 14-year-old girl told officers she had been sexually assaulted by a man in a campus bathroom, according to a statement released by the Burbank Police Department. Police said the girl struggled with the man, who fled the bathroom but was detained by school employees until officers arrived.
Nazarian is also accused of groping another 14-year-old girl near a stairway and approaching a 17-year-old girl who resisted as he allegedly pulled her, then told a teacher, according to the District Attorney's Office.
In a statement announcing the charges, District Attorney George Gascón said, "Schools are meant to be a sanctuary for our children where they can learn and feel safe in their environment. 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."
Burbank Unified School District Superintendent Matt Hill said in a statement, "The Burbank Unified School District takes this incident very seriously and will cooperate fully with the police investigation. We are also conducting an internal investigation into this matter. Keeping our students safe is of the utmost importance."