Police: Man Entered Burbank High School, Sexually Assaulted 3 Teens
The man entered the school through an unlocked door and sexually assaulted a 14-year-old student in a bathroom before inappropriately touching two others.
Photo: Google Maps
BURBANK, Calif. — A former Burbank High School student was arrested for allegedly entering the school and assaulting at least three teenagers last week.
Investigators determined that 22-year-old Patrick Nazarian, a 2018 graduate and Glendale resident, entered the school through an unlocked door in the student parking lot around 9 a.m. Monday, reports myBurbank.
A 14-year-old student told Burbank police that she was approached by an unknown man while using the bathroom. According to a release from the police, the man sexually assaulted the victim and a short struggle ensued.
The suspected fled the bathroom and groped another 14-year-old student near a stairwell and “pulled on” a 17-year-old student who was able to escape and tell a teacher, according to NBC Los Angeles. School employees located Nazarian and held him until police arrived.
“Schools are meant to be a sanctuary for our children where they can learn and feel safe in their environment,” District Attorney George Gascón wrote 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.”
The Burbank Unified School District’s board has scheduled an emergency meeting for March 17 to discuss how to improve security throughout its campuses.
“It is clear that greater precautions are necessary to ensure the safety of students and staff on all of our school sites,” said board president Steve Ferguson. “Working with the Superintendent, Dr. Weisberg and I have asked that security protocols be reviewed at all of our sites.”
Nazarian pleaded not guilty to one count of felony sexual assault and two misdemeanor counts of annoyance of a child under the age of 18. During his initial court appearance, Nazarian’s lawyer said he may have been under the influence of laced marijuana oil at the time of the assaults.
Nazarian’s bond was initially set to $1.2 million but was lowered to $45,000. He is expected to return for a preliminary hearing on March 29.
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About the Author
Amy Rock, Executive Editor
Amy is Campus Safety’s Executive Editor. Prior to joining the editorial team in 2017, she worked in both events and digital marketing.
Amy has many close relatives and friends who are teachers, motivating her to learn and share as much as she can about campus security. She has a minor in education and has worked with children in several capacities, further deepening her passion for keeping students safe.
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Why is it that whether it is a large corporation suffering a cyber attack or a school where children are victimized the response is always either we’ll install the best anti-hacking software or we’ll check to make sure our protocol locks the doors? Why is it always too late? Why aren’t the obviously superior measures undertaken before the existing methods are proven inadequate? The simple question everyone should be asking, from homeowner to corporate CEO, to school Board, is “can we find a better way? And then to do it before it becomes a fix-it situation? And of course, accountability!
Was the door truly unlocked, or was it not closed and latched?
The question is – why isn’t someone assigned to do periodic risk assessments?
This is why there is security at schools to ensure that exit doors are closed and aren’t propped open. This is another reason why students and staff should be made aware of not propping doors open or opening doors for people they don’t know, including ones that look like they might be students in the school. The only way these things could be prevented in by installing sensors that tell someone that a door is unlocked or has been open for longer that the set time for it.
Exactly! I periodically check our campus doors throughout the day but I have been battling the school coaches and custodians for a very long time over their continued careless habit of either unlocking or propping the doors open for the students or for their benefit. I get that it’s an inconvenience but ” What If?” We cannot take that chance. How would you feel if you knew that you were the one that unlocked that door that allowed that kid inside to assault those girls?