BRIDGET O’BRIEN/Daily Bruin Senior Staff Detective
Bob DeVega from the USC Department of Public
Safety photographs stolen equipment on the day it was returned to
UCLA.
By Philip Kim
Daily Bruin Contributor
Police have yet to identify suspects in connection with the
instrument thefts that left the UCLA marching band short of
equipment last week.
Investigation will continue until all instruments are recovered,
according to Jack Reidy, a detective with the USC Department of
Public Safety.
“We are assuming that the suspects are of student age, but
at this time we have no names,” Reidy said.
The theft occurred during the Oct. 12 flag football game at USC
between band members of both schools.
Though UCLA initially lost $23,650 in instruments, most were
returned last week by USC officials who retrieved them from the
front lawn of an apartment complex near the USC campus.
The $4,950 not recovered include four snare drums and
miscellaneous items such as cases, harnesses and music stands.
After borrowing instruments from a high school and recovering
much of their equipment last week, the UCLA band was able to play
at Saturday’s football game.
Officials from both universities are discussing restitution for
equipment not recovered.
“We have submitted a supplemental police report that says
$4,950 is the bottom line,” said Jennifer Judkins, assistant
director of the UCLA band. “Although we have been getting
equipment back in small groups, this is what we are still
missing.”
Gordon Henderson, director of the UCLA marching band, said USC
has offered to pay for anything that’s not returned.
Included in the restitution will be a defaced tenor saxophone
case with “Jew” written across it.
“To me, that kind of language and that kind of damage to a
personal instrument escalates this event to another realm,”
Judkins said.
USC officials would not comment on the case.
Other offensive actions have been directed toward UCLA the past
few weeks. The Daily Trojan newspaper printed an article Oct. 15
imitating a complaining UCLA marching band member.
“I think it contained references that UCLA band members
are lesbians and bitches,” Judkins said.
UCLA students have also said certain USC band members played the
notes “f,” “a” and “g” during
the Band Bowl, spelling out “fag.”
“It’s not unexpected,” Henderson said.
“They’ve always been doing this.”
Henderson and Judkins notified Cynthia Cherrey, assistant vice
president of USC, of the students’ actions.
“She agreed and said she would register a complaint with
the Daily Trojan,” Henderson said.