Ex-Saints safety Darren Sharper surrenders to police

Watch the video above: Rape accusations continue to build against ex-NFL star Darren Sharper

LOS ANGELES – Former NFL safety Darren Sharper has turned himself in to Los Angeles police after being named in a warrant involving a rape case in New Orleans.

LAPD Officer Bruce Borihan says Sharper’s surrender Thursday night had been arranged in advance.

Get breaking National news

For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.

Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up

By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Sharper is being held at the downtown Metropolitan Detention Center.

A second man facing rape charges in the Sharper case turned himself in to New Orleans police.

Police say 26-year-old Erik Nunez was booked Friday morning with two counts of aggravated rape, stemming from alleged assaults last September in New Orleans.

Police issued warrants for Sharper and Nunez in the New Orleans case Thursday.

Sharper also is under investigation in sexual assault cases in Florida, Nevada and Arizona and has pleaded not guilty to rape charges in Los Angeles.

If convicted of aggravated rape in Louisiana, Sharper and Nunez would face life imprisonment.

Sharper retired after the 2010 season, after 14 years in the NFL. He’s an analyst for the NFL Network, which has suspended him indefinitely without pay.