The rivalry between USC and UCLA became physical off the field
when students and others taunting each other began fighting at
Universal City Walk early Friday morning.
The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department sent deputies to
control a situation when a crowd of hundreds gathered outside the
Hard Rock Café on Universal City Walk became unruly and began
fighting, police said.
During the struggle that ensued, an LASD deputy was severely
beaten and later hospitalized. Police declined to comment on the
deputy’s condition Sunday afternoon.
Two men, both in their early 20s, were arrested on charges of
battery with great bodily injury in connection with Friday
morning’s events. According to police records, one was
released Friday evening on $70,000 bail and the other was released
Saturday evening on $50,000 bail. Police said they cannot comment
on whether the two men are students.
A UCLA-USC pregame party hosted by the USC and UCLA Latino
Business Associations was held at the Hard Rock Café Thursday
evening. The party, a third-annual event, was scheduled to begin at
10 p.m. Thursday and end at 2 a.m. Friday morning.
The party was advertised on collegecircuit.com, a Web site that
provides, among other services, a calendar to post listings for
upcoming parties and events. The event listing on
collegecircuit.com had 209 people on its RSVP list, but the party
was also open to the public.
Police declined to comment on any specific events that might
have instigated Friday’s fight.