Three people were arrested on suspicion of using stolen passes to get access to the Grammy Awards, police said Monday.
Sebastian Bonner, 20, of Murrieta was arrested Sunday after he tried to enter the event at Staples Center using one of nine stolen identification passes to get access to all areas, police said. One of the stolen passes belonged to a security guard.
Bonner, along with Los Angeles residents Courtney Mitchell, 30, and Pamela Clay, 44, were arrested for investigation of receiving stolen property after being found with someone else’s event ID card.
Police believe the motive for the theft was a desire to see celebrities, not terrorism.
“We eliminated that this wasn’t something more serious than some people who wanted to see the Grammys who are star-struck,” Cmdr. Andrew Smith said.
After questioning Bonner, police discovered the nine credentials disappeared the day before the Grammys. Four of the passes were eventually located and another was found near Bonner during his interview with authorities.
“Basically here we had one individual who sold a bunch of IDs to his friends and acquaintances,” Smith said.
The Grammys, like most major events since the 2001 terrorists attacks, goes to great lengths to control entry, and uses photo IDs, Smith said. Security is tight and breaches are considered criminal, he said.
Bonner was being held in county jail on $20,000 bail, according to an inmate information Web site. A phone number for Mitchell was not listed, and calls to Clay went unanswered.
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