Crime & Safety
Hollywood Man Pleads Not Guilty in Burglary of Taye Diggs' Home
Hassan Omar Juma is due back in court Feb. 8 for a hearing to determine if there is enough evidence to require him to stand trial.
A Hollywood man pleaded not guilty Tuesday afternoon in Van Nuys Superior Court to charges that he burglarized the Studio City home of actor Taye Diggs, who chased the suspect and held him for police.
Hassan Omar Juma, 20, pleaded not guilty to one felony count of first-degree burglary with a person present.
Diggs, who starred in the recently ended TV drama series "Private Practice," encountered the intruder on Sunday night after arriving home from the Screen Actors Guild Awards ceremony. His family was also home at the time of the break-in.
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The actor told police that he "found the guy inside his garage looking for things to take," and that he chased the suspect after he ran off and held him for police, according to Richard French of the Los Angeles Police Department.
Juma was arrested about 11:20 p.m. Sunday by the LAPD's North Hollywood Division and has remained jailed since then on $50,000 bail.
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Juma is due back in court Feb. 8 for a hearing to determine if there is enough evidence to require him to stand trial.
If convicted, he faces up to six years in state prison, according to the District Attorney's Office.
—Patch editor Meredith Skrzypczak contributed to this report.
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