| | NCAA Tournament victories by Iowa State, Wisconsin and Purdue
triggered sometimes violent celebrations early Friday.
At Ames, Iowa, thousands of fans poured into the streets of
Campustown to celebrate Iowa State's victory over UCLA in the round
of 16. One person sustained a minor head injury when he jumped into a
lake. At least seven others were arrested. The charges included
criminal mischief, public intoxication, theft and failure to
disperse, officials said.
At West Lafayette, Ind., police fired tear gas into a crowd of
students who set fires and damaged cars after Purdue's win over
Gonzaga. Four students were arrested during the melee, which
culminated with two bonfires set two blocks south of Purdue's
Ross-Ade Stadium.
And in Wisconsin, hundreds of students marched to the Capitol in
Madison to celebrate the Badgers' win over LSU. At the
Wisconsin-Oshkosh campus, some in the crowd of about 800 hurled
bottles at police in riot gear.
In Ames, police Captain James Robinson said the crowd began to
gather about 11:15 p.m. Thursday, damaging vehicles and tearing
down light poles. He said the crowd, which grew to an estimated
3,000, paraded to the home of university president Martin Jischke,
then to the football stadium.
"They eventually took a section of fencing from the ISU
football stadium and took it back to Lake Luverne and deposited it
in the lake," Robinson said. "The majority of the group was
well-behaved, but there were a few within the group that did cause
some damage."
Police said a crowd of about 2,500 celebrating students walked
across Purdue's campus, causing minor property damage. Students
turned over trash cans, damaged cars, pulled down a street sign and
blocked traffic. One group entered the football stadium and hung
from the goalposts.
"We didn't expect this," Purdue vice president of university
relations Joseph Bennett said.
About midnight, a group of 500-700 students built a bonfire out
of limbs torn down from nearby trees, then began adding other
objects to the fire, campus police chief Linda Stump said.
About 30-40 police officers in riot gear were on hand. When
officers decided the crowd was getting out of control, they fired
at least five rounds of tear gas and the students dispersed, Stump
said.
"The crowd was getting unruly," Bennett said. "The police
acted with restraint, but went (in) at the right time. What you are
looking for is whether the situation is getting worse or better,
and in this case, it was getting worse."
A second fire was set nearby by a small group of students who
dragged a sofa into the street and set it ablaze with tree limbs.
The students left before police arrived.
Three students were arrested on disorderly conduct or resisting
arrest charges, and a fourth for public intoxication. One student
sustained minor injuries when he was attacked by a dog, police
said.
In Oshkosh, police in riot gear kept a crowd of about 400 young
people from getting out of hand. Some in the crowd threw bottles at
officers who put on gas masks. Tear gas was not used.
"The Oshkosh police got a little anxious, but there was a good
deal of restraint on all sides and, from what I know, no property
was damaged," said Elliot Garb, assistant chancellor for student
affairs at Wisconsin-Oshkosh.
"We tried to settle them down by forming a human wall, but that
just excited them more," said alumni Matt O'Malley, who also
serves on the Oshkosh City Council.
In Madison, celebrators packed together, "body passing" some
people as they made their way several blocks to the Capitol Square.
"Everybody packed in close tight together, cheering and doing
their chants about beating the next team. It was like a stadium
packed together," Sgt. Linda Kosovac said.
Celebrators began dispersing by about 1:15 a.m. There were no
arrests, police said. | |
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