2 Men Arrested for Allegedly Vandalizing Bruin Bear Before USC vs. UCLA

Two men were arrested Wednesday for allegedly vandalizing the Bruin Bear statue on UCLA's campus shortly before the rivalry football game between UCLA and USC in November.

According to Patch.com, UCLA Police Lt. Kevin Kilgore said that 19-year-old Louie Torres and 18-year-old Willie Johnson were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy and felony vandalism.

Kilgore said the following regarding the vandalism, which occurred at 2 a.m. on Nov. 13—four days before the Bruins beat the Trojans 34-27: "The Bruin Bear was vandalized while it was secured in a wooden box for the UCLA-USC football game that weekend. Two suspects pried open the wooden case and painted the Bruin Bear with red and yellow paint, resulting in damage of over $15,000."

USC fans vandalizing the Bruin Bear is nothing new, as the phrase "SC Runs LA" was spray-painted on the statue in 2014:

Kilgore noted that neither Torres nor Johnson have any relation to either USC or UCLA. He said bail was set at $10,000 for each man.