College Short Riot Shakes UMass After Sox's Victory

Author: Daniel Phillips and Joshua Carson

Following Trot Nixon's walk-off homerun Saturday night, students at University of Massachusetts-Amherst began to riot in the southwest residential area on campus. The riot started shortly after the game ended and was not broken up by the UMass Police Department (UMPD) until 3 a.m. As the crowd grew, the UMPD dispatched 30 officers to the scene where they confronted students who were throwing rocks, setting off fireworks and turning over cars. The officers came equipped with air-powered rifles, which projected balls filled with pepper spray into the crowd. Five officers and three students were injured in the riot.

The university estimates damages to the dining commons to be $20,000 with an additional $8,000 for police overtime. UMPD made two arrests during the riot, neither of a student at the university. Chief of UMPD Barbara O'Connor promised that charges will be brought against the rioters arrested as well as those identified on a video recording of the event.

O'Connor said that this was not the worst riot the university has seen. "They are all bad. Certainly when you get people losing teeth and people throwing rocks and bottles at the police and turning over cars, it is not good."



Source: Massachusetts Daily Collegian (U. Massachusetts - Amherst)