Violence erupted after police arrived to break up a massive party at the University of Colorado Boulder on Saturday.
Reports say that an estimated 800 to 1,000 students — none of them wearing masks or observing social distancing protocols — gathered at the University Hill area on campus for the event.
The party took a turn for the worse after students began smashing car windows, even flipping some cars over, while others lit fireworks in the street.
College students in Boulder had a party with several hundred people in the middle of a pandemic. Boulder PD showed up to disperse the crowd and threatened to arrest people. This is what remains of a car people flipped over and destroyed #9News pic.twitter.com/221GjNNijP
— Marc Sallinger (@MarcSallinger) March 7, 2021
Boulder Police showed up at the scene to handle the situation but the city’s SWAT team had to be called after three officers were injured by bricks and rocks hurled at them. An armored vehicle and a fire truck were also damaged.
Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty condemned the students’ “shameful” behavior and said that an investigation will be conducted, so those responsible for destruction of property and other offenses should turn themselves in.
“Let me be clear: The damaging of private property — other people’s vehicles and property — as well as the assault upon police officers and first responders is unacceptable,” said Dougherty.
CU Boulder released a statement and threatened sanctions against the students involved.
“Disciplinary actions include interim exclusions from campus and 45 suspensions so far this academic year. We will continue to take these actions to make clear that protecting our community and our campus is of utmost importance and that we will not tolerate such violations. Any student who is found responsible for having engaged in acts of violence toward the law enforcement or other first responders will be removed from CU Boulder and not readmitted,” the statement read.
We condemn the conduct on University Hill on Saturday. Any student found responsible for acts of violence toward law enforcement or first responders will be removed from CU Boulder and not readmitted.
Read more at https://t.co/k9tJGEL2SC
— CU Boulder (@CUBoulder) March 7, 2021