Former University of Southern California defensive back Joshua Jackson Jr. was arrested Wednesday on charges of raping two university students, including a case that dates back to 2020, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced.
Prosecutors say Jackson Jr., 21, raped a UCLA student “sometime between June 1 and September 1, 2020” at his apartment. He is also accused of raping a classmate at her USC apartment in March 2023.
He was booked into the Foltz Criminal Justice Center in Los Angeles on one count of forcible sexual penetration and three felony counts of forcible rape and was being held on a $1.4 million bond.
According to USA Today, Jackson Jr. left USC and entered the NCAA’s transfer portal in April of this year. He last took the field for the Trojans in 2021.
“Sexual assault is a heinous crime that cannot be tolerated,” District Attorney George Gascón said in a statement. “These brave women made the difficult decision to come forward and report their assault, now it’s our turn to ensure that justice is done.”
The Los Angeles Police Department issued an advisory after Gascón’s announcement saying investigators had identified three women whom Jackson Jr. allegedly assaulted and were seeking “any additional victims.”
The third accuser lives in San Diego.
“It is believed Jackson was involved in additional unreported sexual assaults,” police said.
Those with information were urged to call LAPD at 323-290-2976 or 1-877-LAPD-24-7.
His official page on usctrojans.com had been removed as of Wednesday afternoon.
