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2 USC journalism students covering NFL draft arrested, snuck into Talent room, took $1000 jerseys
Two USC journalism students covering NFL draft arrested in jersey thefts
Two USC journalism students covering the NFL draft were arrested while boarding a plane back to Los Angeles in the theft of more than $1,000 worth of first-round draft-pick jerseys, according to the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department.
The students, Eric Lambkins II and Jude Ocañas, had been in Missouri last week covering the NFL draft for the student-run multiplatform news outlet known as Annenberg Media, which operates under the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, according to USC’s journalism school publication.
Video surveillance showed the two students around 1:20 a.m. Friday entering areas connected to the NFL draft where they did not have access, according to the Police Department. The NFL identified them as Ocañas and Lambkins, police said.
Lambkins and Ocañas entered into the “talent waiting room,” with Lambkins holding a bag, according to police. They stayed in the room about five minutes before leaving with the bag looking “fuller,” police said.
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“These jerseys are used to give to players selected in the first round of the NFL draft and have a very sentimental meaning,” Kansas City police Det. Craig Leach wrote in a report.
Officers arrested Lambkins and Ocañas just before they were to board a flight back to Los Angeles, according to police.
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-05-04/two-usc-journalism-students-covering-nfl-draft-arrested-in-jersey-thefts
Lambkins is a journalism graduate student at Annenberg, a U.S. Army veteran and a rising sports journalist and documentary filmmaker. He is also a prominent advocate for Black journalists at USC and a managing editor at Annenberg Media, a student-led newsroom supported by the Journalism School.
Lambkins is one of the founding members and visionaries of The Talk of Troy, and had spent the year sculpting the relationships that could provide a team of students the opportunity to cover the NFL Draft. He and his team produced hours of coverage and livestreaming content for all platforms of Annenberg Media, including television, radio, social and digital.
Ocañas is a freshman journalism major with aspirations to become an NFL analyst. He joined The Talk of Troy NFL draft broadcasting team and exhibited outstanding knowledge of the league. Among other awards, he received a USC Deans Scholarship and the Jacki and Gilbert Wells Cisneros Endowed Scholarship awarded to a new student of Latin American descent with outstanding academic performance.
The trip, as with all Annenberg Media travel, was funded by the Journalism School. The Talk of Troy team regularly broadcasts sports coverage throughout the year on Annenberg Media. Earlier this year Lambkins organized a team to cover the East/West Shrine Bowl in Las Vegas, a game that showcases the talents of college football players in front of top NFL team representatives.
https://www.uscannenbergmedia.com/2023/05/03/usc-student-journalists-mount-a-legal-defense-in-kansas-city/
7 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
Hotels have SOOOO many cameras, particularly nice ones... always watching... ALWAYS!
I was running back and forth between my hotel room and a relative's. as I returned to the hallway, a voice said "shut the door!", I had left my relative's room and not shut the door completely. They were watching all the time. 
