DPS officers detained two USC students at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday behind the Ronald Tutor Campus Center for allegedly stealing wooden pallets outside of the USC bookstore.
Eight officers were called to respond to a theft investigation and were present behind the Campus Center when detaining the students. Reporters on the scene witnessed officers tackling one of the suspects next to encampment protesters and then escorting the person into a DPS vehicle.
DPS Assistant Chief David Carlisle confirmed the detainees were students but was unable to identify them or determine if they were affiliated with the encampment protesters. He said their names will be listed in the crime report submitted to LAPD.
“The students will be accused of the theft of wooden pallets from the university bookstore,” said USC Police Sergeant Steven Alegre. “The LA City Attorney will decide if charges will be filed against them.”
Several officers formed a barrier around the detained suspect after more protesters from the encampment arrived on the scene. One detainee was relayed a phone number for jail support from protesters who had witnessed officers tackling the detainee earlier. Protesters expressed concern about the high number of officers present during the arrest.
Alegre said the police presence was not for the students in custody but for the growing crowd of protesters at the scene.
“Whenever there’s a crowd, we want officers to be present to be able to answer questions,” Alegre said.
DPS has not released any other details about the incident. Encampment protesters have also yet to put out a statement about what they witnessed.
Correction: An earlier version of this article reported that “one detainee relayed their phone number to protesters”. The phone number was actually a jail support number relayed from the protesters to the detainee.