Three face felony charges in connection with Colorado locker room thefts at Rose Bowl

Three juveniles accused of stealing items from Colorado’s locker room at the Rose Bowl during a football game against UCLA last October are facing felony charges after the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office decided to pursue the case.

The juveniles — a 16-year-old from Beaumont, a 15-year-old from Banning and a 16-year-old from Banning — each face five felony counts of grant theft and one misdemeanor count of petty theft after allegedly taking jewelry, headphones and cash. Some of the items have been returned to the Colorado players.

After an investigation by the Pasadena Police Department led to the identification and arrest of the three juveniles, they were cited and released into the care of a parent or guardian. None are in custody at this time, according to Lt. Monica Cuellar of the Pasadena Police Department.

The district attorney’s office filed charges against the suspects late last month after being presented the case from Pasadena police via the Los Angeles County Probation Office.

In November, Colorado coach Deion Sanders pleaded for leniency toward the suspects.

“Let’s make sure those kids atone for what transpired, whether it’s community service or whatever it is, but they don’t lose the opportunities to change their lives,” Sanders said at the time. “They are kids. They made a stupid, dumb, idiotic mistake. When I was 17, 18, so did I. All right? So did you.”

It’s unclear whether the suspects were football players, but none were on an official NCAA recruiting visit when they attended the game, according to a UCLA athletic department spokesperson. Police have not divulged how they gained access to the locker room.

As part of enhanced safety efforts at the Rose Bowl this season, a UCLA athletic department spokesperson said additional security personnel will be on patrol and public access to two tunnels leading to the home and visitor locker rooms will be closed.

UCLA has also changed to its credentialing system to better restrict access to the locker room areas.