LAPD Confirms Rape Investigation of Knicks Guard Derrick Rose

LOS ANGELES, CA — The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating gang rape allegations involving New York Knicks guard Derrick Rose.

It is the first time the department publicly confirmed the criminal investigation since his accuser sued Rose in civil court last year.

As part of that suit, a document was filed in Los Angeles federal court in which LAPD Detective Nadine Hernandez wrote that it was a "misconception" that the department "does not have a current criminal investigation" pending that names the basketball star and two other men.

The letter is addressed to Brandon Anand, a lawyer representing plaintiff "Jane Doe," the woman who alleges Rose and his friends drugged and raped her in 2013 at a party in Beverly Hills.

Rose and the other two men accused of rape in the lawsuit contend the sex was consensual.

According to the suit, filed in August 2015, the woman alleges she had a relationship with Rose, who tried to pressure her into group sex. She claims that Rose and his friends slipped her a drug at a party in Beverly Hills and then followed her home and raped her while she was incapacitated. According to the lawsuit, she awoke the next morning to find used condoms scattered around her.

Speaking at Knicks media day Monday, Rose, 27, said he had not been aware of the LAPD investigation and denied any wrongdoing.

"I'm innocent. I felt like I didn't do anything wrong," he said.

He warned that the civil case could force him to miss time with the team during the trial.

In the meantime, attorneys for both sides are arguing about whether the identity of Rose’s alleged victim should remain anonymous.

U.S. District Judge Michael Fitzgerald previously ruled that the woman's name will be revealed after a jury is sworn. However, at a pretrial hearing Thursday, Anand is expected to ask the judge to reconsider the ruling and keep the woman's identity secret for her own safety throughout the trial, which is set to begin Oct. 4.

Hernandez wrote that the woman's identity would remain confidential, as far as the LAPD is concerned, as the police probe continues.

"The ability to offer anonymity to victims of sex crimes is an invaluable investigative aid to investigators as well as a great comfort to victims of crimes of such a sensitive nature," Hernandez wrote.

• Read the full lawsuit

Patch Staffer Paige Austin and City News Service Contributed to this Report.