SAN DIEGO (CNS) - The San Diego Police Department announced Thursday it has completed a 10-month investigation into the alleged gang rape last fall of an unconscious 17-year-old girl by members of the San Diego State University Aztecs football team.
No arrests have been made in the "very complex" case, according to SDPD officials, who said they had submitted the results of their probe to the San Diego County District Attorney's Office for review and possible filing of criminal charges.
Five university football players purportedly carried out the sex assaults during an off-campus house party last Oct. 16.
The SDPD announcement -- which included no details about what the lengthy investigation may have revealed about the purported crimes -- came three days after university administrators disclosed that they had launched their own inquiry into the allegations.
According to the police department, "more than 20 investigative personnel contributed to this extensive investigation, requiring nearly 200 hours of overtime."
In a campus statement issued Monday, SDSU President Adela de la Torre noted that San Diego police had initially requested that the university not conduct its own investigation or "do anything that could jeopardize or interfere with its criminal investigation."
In an about-face, however, the SDPD informed university officials last month that they could move forward with their own inquiry.
In her campus message, De la Torre sought to assure students "that we have and continue to take action."
"Our process, following California State University system-wide policy, has already begun, and pertinent details and allegations are being examined," she added. "As I have stated before, no one is above the law, and anyone found to have violated the law and university policy should suffer the consequences."
SDSU's Title IX investigation will examine whether university policy has been violated, rather than whether criminal acts have been committed.
In their statement, SDSU officials acknowledged that they lack the warrant and subpoena powers available to law enforcement and that universities cannot compel participation by either victims or the accused.
