ALHAMBRA >> Five USC students were arrested early Wednesday on suspicion of stealing plants and garden statues of a Buddha, cat and ducks from yards, police said.

They told officers the plants would be used as decorations at a future fraternity party, according to Sgt. Gerald Johnson. The fraternity they mentioned was Sigma Nu.

Alhambra police got wind of the thefts in the 300 block of South Almansor Street at 1:17 a.m. Johnson said a caller reported seeing four men getting out of a pickup truck, running into a yard then back to the vehicle. The witness described the vehicle as a black pickup truck with an extra cab, possibly a Ford.

About five minutes later, an officer spotted a 2004 Ford F150 with a truck bed full of plants and palm fronds heading north on Almansor Street. Police pulled over the truck.

Johnson described the plants found in the truck as mostly palms of various kinds.

“The suspects were using pruning shears to cut the tops off of smaller (palm) trees. They also took approximately five small statues: three duck statues, a cat statue and a Buddha,” he said.

“We found pruning shears, a couple of knives.”

A police photo shows the statues inside the truck.

Based on the haul, police think more than one yard was hit.

Arrested on suspicion of grand theft and conspiracy to commit grand theft were Dylan Walter, 19, Miles Horton, 18, Graham Vines, 18, Darshan Patel, 18, and Eyobed Mesfun, 19. Police said the five live on campus.

The Facebook pages for the five suspects mention a Sigma Nu “Rumble” for Oct. 11. It’s not clear if this was the party that required the plant decor. A representative for the fraternity couldn’t be reached for comment on Wednesday.

However, the design used in the “Rumble” photo on their Facebook pages consisted of birds and fronds. Four of the suspects used it as their profile pictures

The students were being held at Alhambra jail and their bail is $20,000 each. If they don’t bail out, their arraignment is Friday at Alhambra Superior Court.