Law enforcement breaking up a crowd of party-goers on Sixth Street in the south campus area. About 25 officers from Chico Police Department, University Police Department and Alcohol and Beverage Control in addition to seven police volunteers reacted to the commotion.
Chico police officers responded to a large crowd of party-goers and were targeted with thrown bottles Saturday morning.
About 25 officers from Chico Police Department, University Police Department and Alcohol and Beverage Control in addition to seven police volunteers reacted to the commotion that centered along Ivy Street while wearing helmets and protective jackets. There they encountered projectiles as they tried to break up and move the throng.
“We had some folks who chose not to act appropriately tonight,” said Lt. Linda Dye of Chico Police Department, referring to those who threw bottles of beer at police.
Crowds of the morning’s magnitude are typical during the last weekend before classes commence at Chico State, Dye said. Incoming freshman tend to flock to the student neighborhoods located south of the campus in search of parties during this time.
“The information I’m getting from my guys is that 90 percent of the people out there are cooperating,” Dye said, adding that it was a small portion that used the anonymity of the crowd to instigate disorder.
One male subject was arrested; at the time of publication his identity and reason for detention were not known.
Just after midnight, Chico police responded to a party that had grown out of control on the 600 block of Ivy Street, Dye said.
When officers moved in to control the scene, the crowd spilled into the street, she said. During this time, police were pelted with bottles, causing officers to pull out and wait for assistance.
After police set up a staging point in the parking lot of Notre Dame Elementary School they began to move out and disperse the crowd, which by then had spread south of the intersection of Sixth and Ivy streets.
During that time a fight broke out involving a person being thrown to the ground and pummeled by a group of assailants, Dye said. The incident is being considered a felony assault.
By 12:45 a.m. the intersection of Second and Ivy streets was cleared and remaining pedestrians in the area had begun to disperse.
Shortly afterwards, the streets had cleared to the point where police began to return to the staging area. At 1 a.m. all units were called back to Notre Dame Elementary to regroup and return to their regular duties.
Nicholas Carr can be reached at [email protected] or @NikECarr on Twitter.
