LAPD arrested at least three suspects on Monday near the USC Village, blocking off the intersection of S. Hoover St. and W. 32nd St. and drawing assault rifles and handguns, according to a video obtained by Annenberg Media.
The incident happened around 3 p.m. right outside the USC Caruso Catholic Center. According to DPS Assistant Chief David Carlisle, LAPD attempted to detain two suspects in connection with a grand theft. At least five police cars barricaded the intersection, with one car facing sideways to stop oncoming traffic.
A video of the incident taken by student Wyatt Murell gained traction online after it was posted onto the Barstool USC instagram account, where it has garnered around 72,000 views in 18 hours.
“When I was walking out [of Bank of America], I realized that there are a bunch of cops with their guns out aimed at these people,” said Murrell, a junior studying business administration. “I walked out and just pretty much immediately started recording everything I saw.”
The video also shows LAPD officers standing behind the doors of their vehicles with their guns drawn and an LAPD helicopter flying overhead.
The two suspects put their hands up and laid face down in the middle of S. Hoover St. between a blue motorized scooter. One of the suspects was wearing a red beanie and the other was wearing a navy blue beanie.
An eyewitness of the arrest disagreed with LAPD’s response to the alleged theft.
“I thought the disproportionality of the response was crazy,” Mike Schindlbeck, an employee at USC Village restaurant Il Giardino said.
One other suspect was arrested near the intersection of S. Hoover St. and W. Jefferson Blvd. by the main entrance of the Village. The suspect was detained on the sidewalk by around five officers at 4 p.m. and placed into the backseat of the police car.
DPS referred Annenberg Media to the LAPD for more details about the investigation. LAPD refused to provide further details after multiple requests.