A pair of former USC and LSU football players, Bryce Dixon and Trey Lealaimatafao, are suspected of committing at least nine robberies that spanned across two days.
The crimes allegedly occurred in Los Angeles, and both men were charged with the following, per the Los Angeles Times:
Both men were charged Thursday with five counts of second-degree robbery, and one count each of carjacking, attempted carjacking and assault with a deadly weapon, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.
Both men pleaded not guilty, and Dixon was ordered to be held on $420,000 bail.
“When all the evidence and facts come out, he’s going to be vindicated,” Dixon’s lawyer told the Times. “He adamantly denies it and says he was not involved in any way.”
The pair reportedly carried out five robberies in the Los Angeles area, including the alleged carjacking.
Police statement on Bryce Dixon robbery charges says that he and Trey Lealaimatafao stopped people, threatened them & stole their belongings
— Ryan Kartje (@Ryan_Kartje) January 22, 2016
The Times also reports that they two might be suspects in other crimes in Ventura County:
Authorities in Ventura County are investigating an additional four robberies that took place on Monday and Tuesday: one in Oxnard, one in Ventura, and two in areas patrolled by the county’s sheriff department, according to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department.
Lealaimatafao played defensive tackle at LSU, but was removed from the team for an arrest on battery and robbery charges last summer. Dixon was a tight end for the Trojans, and was dismissed from USC after allegations of nonconsensual sex in 2014.
Although dismissed from the team at USC, Dixon was allowed to return to USC as a student after filing a legal challenge towards his expulsion in 2015.
