A grueling three-month rape trial ended Friday with the offender briefly escaping custody after the jury announced his guilty verdict.
Arian Eteghaei, a 23-year-old former UCSB student who now faces decades in prison, managed to shake loose from sheriff’s bailiffs as they were escorting him across Figueroa Street between the two downtown Santa Barbara courthouses. Eteghaei was shackled at the hands but not the feet.
Wearing a suit and shouting profanities, Eteghaei ran one block west to State Street before he was tackled by bailiffs and held down by bystanders. Footage of his apprehension was captured by Noozhawk.
Moments earlier in the courtroom, his attorney had argued that Eteghaei, already out on bail, should remain free until his sentencing on April 8. The attorney said Eteghaei ― originally from Dublin, California, and a former soccer standout ― was not a flight risk or a danger to the public. The judge disagreed and ordered him remanded into custody. It is unclear what new charges Eteghaei may face after the incident.
Eteghaei was arrested in 2021 while he was freshman studying biology at UCSB. He was initially charged with sexual assaults on three women. Once his case was publicized, three more victims came forward.
Many of the women testified against Eteghaei at the trial, including an ex-girlfriend, who said he raped and assaulted her during a prom-themed party at his Isla Vista apartment. In a highly unusual move, Eteghaei took the stand in his own defense, claiming the sexual encounters were consensual.
“The victims in this case showed remarkable bravery by coming forward, reporting the crimes, and taking the stand to testify during this lengthy trial,” said District Attorney John T. Savrnoch. “Their courage made it possible for the jury to hold the defendant accountable for his actions.” Savrnoch said Eteghaei “faces a potential sentence of 30 years to life in state prison.”
While the 12-person jury deadlocked many of the charges against Eteghaei, it ultimately found him guilty of sexual penetration of a foreign object and domestic violence battery against one victim, and forcible rape of another.
For years, Santa Barbara Superior Court executives have sought to improve security at the downtown buildings. They’ve lobbied the Judicial Council of California for funds to construct a new facility ― primarily to eliminate the need to escort defendants along public sidewalks and across Figueroa Street ― but the required money, an estimated $103 million, has not yet materialized.
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