Man who tried to drug woman's drink at Santa Monica bar pleads guilty to drugging, raping victim
Michael Roe Chien Hsu.
LOS ANGELES - A Los Angeles man who tried to spike a woman's drink at a bar in Santa Monica in 2016 before three women thwarted the attempt, has pleaded guilty to drugging and raping the victim.
Michael Roe Chien Hsu pleaded guilty to an act of sexual penetration where the victim was prevented from resisting because of a controlled substance. Hsu also admitted factors in aggravation.
According to investigators, three women saw Hsu allegedly trying to spike the drink of his female companion while she was in a restroom at the Fig restaurant inside the Fairmont Miramar Hotel on Wilshire Boulevard, one of the three wrote in a Facebook posting.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Man charged for allegedly trying to slip drug into woman's drink
"He pulled her glass toward him, kind of awkwardly, then he took out a little black vial,'' according to her account on Facebook. "He opened it up and dropped something in. Then he tried to play it cool, like checking his phone and hiding the vial in his hand and then trying to bring it back down slyly.''
One witness got up to go tell security and warn the victim in the restroom of what occurred. When the victim returned to her table, Hsu tried to get her to take a drink of her wine. The victim waited until police arrived. The incident was captured via surveillance footage.
Get your top stories delivered daily! Sign up for FOX 11’s Fast 5 newsletter. And, get breaking news alerts in the FOX 11 News app. Download for iOS or Android.
When he was arrested, police discovered that he had three vials that later tested positive for MDMA and melatonin.
An electronic search warrant of his phone later revealed images and videos of Hsu digitally penetrating the victim in an incapacitated state at various stages of their friendship, then dating relationship.
Hsu will be required to register as a sex offender for life and will serve time in jail, authorities said.
Tune in to FOX 11 Los Angeles for the latest Southern California news.