HOLLYWOOD—A Los Angeles man pleaded no contest in court on Friday, March 2 for his role in the beating of a transgender woman in Hollywood, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced.
Nicol Shakhnazaryan, 25, was convicted of one felony count of assault by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury in the plea agreement, indicated Deputy District Attorney Alberto Jimenez, who prosecuted case BA412744.
Shakhnazaryan is scheduled to be sentenced on September 4, 2018 in Department 105 of the Foltz Criminal Justice Center. His co-defendant, Samuel Garunts, 25, pleaded no contest to one misdemeanor count of assault by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury in February 2017 and was sentenced to 3 years’ probation and required to pay about $24,000 to the California Victim Compensation Board.
Shakhnazaryan was arrested three days after the attack, where Los Angeles city leaders announced a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrests of suspects involved in the attack.
The victim, Vivian Diego, who was 22 at the time of the incident was attacked by a group of men in the 6200 block of Hollywood Boulevard at 2:15 a.m. on May 31, 2013 outside of Beso, a restaurant owned by actress Eva Longoria where she worked as a barista. She suffered a broken jaw, broken ribs, two fractured eye sockets and other injuries during the attack.
The case was investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department Hollywood Division.
