The man who attempted to flee from Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s custody after a jury found him guilty of rape pleaded not guilty to the escape charge on Wednesday.

Arian Eteghaei, 23, a former UC Santa Barbara student, pleaded not guilty to a felony count of escape by force or violence and denied a special allegation for escaping from the courthouse while being transported to jail.

The charges stem from an incident in January after a Superior Court jury found Eteghaei guilty of forcible rape and other sexual assault charges. Court bailiffs, who are overseen by the Sheriff’s Office, handcuffed him in the courtroom and took him into custody after the verdicts were read.

He reportedly escaped from bailiffs and ran from the back door of the Figueroa Courthouse’s basement floor toward State Street.

Noozhawk reporter Pricila Flores was downtown for an unrelated meeting and captured video of Eteghaei running down the street and being apprehended by bailiffs about a block from the courthouse.

One bailiff grabbed him but struggled to get control until another bailiff arrived at the scene. Two bystanders also appeared to help the bailiffs hold Eteghaei on the ground. 

The Sheriff’s Office said at the time that no injuries were reported. Records released to Noozhawk in response to a California Public Records Act Request said law enforcement personnel suffered minor injuries and damage to uniforms in the incident.

The District Attorney’s Office filed charges last week related to the escape attempt.

On Wednesday, Eteghaei appeared in Superior Court for the arraignment hearing with attorney Joe Elford, who was on Zoom. This is a different attorney than the ones who represent him in the sexual assault case.

In that case, he faced allegations of sexual assault related to six victims. The jury convicted him on three counts and was deadlocked on 14 other counts after a three-month trial.

A jury found him guilty of sexual penetration with a foreign object and domestic violence battery against his ex-girlfriend, identified as Jane Doe H.O.C., and forcible rape against a woman identified as Jane Doe M.E.

His sentencing in that case is set for April 8, and he faces 30 years to life in state prison, according to prosecutors.

His next court appearance will be on March 24 for a preliminary hearing setting for the escape charge. 

He is being held in Santa Barbara County jail custody without bail because of his rape conviction and pending prison sentence.