LOS ANGELES — Former NFL safety Darren Sharper has turned himself in to Los Angeles police after being named in a warrant involving a rape case in New Orleans.
Sharper’s surrender Thursday night had been arranged in advance, LAPD Officer Bruce Borihan said. Sharper was being held at the downtown Metropolitan Detention Center.
Another man facing rape charges in the case turned himself in to New Orleans police Friday. Erik Nunez, 26, was booked on two counts of aggravated rape stemming from alleged assaults last September in New Orleans, police said.
Police issued warrants Thursday for Sharper and Nunez.
Sharper, 38, also is under investigation in sexual assault cases in Florida, Nevada and Arizona and has pleaded not guilty to rape charges in Los Angeles.
In the New Orleans case, Sharper and Nunez face charges in the alleged rape of two women at the same location Sept. 23, police spokeswoman Remi Braden said.
Sharper’s New Orleans-based attorney, Nandi Campbell, and attorney Leonard B. Levine, who represents Sharper in the California case, did not return phone calls seeking comment.
The assault investigation in New Orleans is ongoing, and additional arrests are possible, Braden said.
If convicted in the California case, Sharper could face more than 30 years in state prison. If convicted of aggravated rape in Louisiana, both Sharper and Nunez could face life imprisonment.
Sharper was selected All-Pro six times and chosen for the Pro Bowl five times. He played in two Super Bowls, one with the Green Bay Packers as a rookie and a second with the New Orleans Saints.
Sharper retired after the 2010 season, having played 14 years in the NFL. He is an analyst for the NFL Network, which has suspended him indefinitely and without pay.
