PASADENA ““ Two men were stabbed at the Rose Bowl during a brawl Saturday before the annual football game between UCLA and USC, police said.
[UPDATED at 10:28 p.m.: Three men have been arrested. Arturo Cisneros, 44, is being held on suspicion of attempted murder. Steven Radu, 27 and Joshua Elder, 23, are being held on suspicion of assault on a police officer, according to Pasadena Police. The three were originally arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon. No other arrests were made.]
Police could not confirm if any of the men arrested or stabbed were students at UCLA or USC.
An emergency phone call around 4:30 p.m. alerted police of a fight among about 30 people in Lot 1, north of the stadium. By the time officers arrived at the scene, 50 to 75 people were involved, according to Commander Darryl Qualls. [UPDATED at 10:28 p.m.: According to police in an updated statement, upwards of 40 people were involved.]
One man was stabbed in the upper back and another man in the cheek. Both were transported to Huntington Memorial Hospital and are in stable condition. Two officers were also injured; one with a sprained ankle and the other with a sprained wrist.
The fight was broken up within 10 minutes after officers arrived, Qualls said. The three suspects are being held on $1 million bail each.
Police believe alcohol and school pride both contributed to the fight being started.
Several arrests were made in 2008 during the last UCLA–USC game at the Rose Bowl, although there were no stabbings in that instance.
With reports from Daniel Schonhaut, Devin Kelly, Kelly Zhou and Kylie Reynolds, Bruin senior staff.