A Super Bowl party at the University of Massachusetts Amherst took an unfortunate turn when 14 people, including 13 students, were arrested after the game.
Following the New England Patriots’ loss to the New York Giants Feb. 5, about 1,500 students gathered in the school’s main residential area, according to a university press release.
Several fights broke out and the crowd became rowdy so a disperse order was made at 10:08 p.m, according to police.
The university’s spokesman, Ed Blaguszewski, told the Associated Press (AP) that there were some fistfights but no one was hurt badly enough to be taken to a hospital. No property damage was reported.
“It was a loud crowd and there were fights breaking out in pockets,” Blaguszewski told the AP.
A video taken by a student from her fourth-floor room showed smoke and flashes, as well as students running and yelling. Much of the crowd ran away when police arrived but at least one student was wrestled to the ground and smoke bombs were used to disperse the crowd.
Marissa Faldasz, a junior at the university, told the AP a similar incident occurred after Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was killed in May of last year.
Blaguszewski was hesitant to call the incident a riot. He told local media it was more of a “disturbance,” due to the relative ease police had in breaking it up.
The campus was calm by 11:30 pm, a little over an hour after the announcement of the dispersal order, according to police.
The students involved are facing potential sanctions that range from suspension to expulsion, but their cases will be reviewed by the dean under the code of student conduct, according to the university website.
Everyone who was arrested will be put on trial in Eastern Hampshire District Court this week, according to the university.
