On Saturday night, hundreds of people gathered in Boulder, University of Colorado, on Colorado Hill, prompting police to disperse the mass party, Boulder police said Saturday. It is estimated that between 500 and 800 people were at the height of the incident, according to authorities.
CBS Denver reports that members of the SWAT team helped police, who used a siren and gas to break up the event. Boulder police chief Maris Herold told reporters tear gas worth two containers was used. Herold added that rubber bullets were not accustomed to his knowledge.
The crowd turned violent, however, and some officers were injured while bricks and rocks were thrown at them, according to Boulder police on CBS Denver. A fire truck was damaged and a car was overturned.
By 9 p.m., everyone had dispersed, leaving broken glass and debris in the streets. Some residents cleaned up the mess.
No arrests were made from 5 to 9 p.m., and Herold said during a press conference that he believed “best practices for sending officers” would not be considered to the crowd. Instead, the police department relies on the images from the body camera, which will be released after an investigation.
An unidentified man told CBS Denver that the match and his subsequent confrontation with police should happen. “When we are caged for months, there will be an explosion, and that was the explosion,” the man said.
The University of Colorado Boulder issued a statement condemning the party. “Any student who is held responsible for acts of violence against law enforcement or first responders will be removed from CU Boulder and will not be readmitted,” he published at the University.
“When health officials and police have referred violations of public health orders to our student conduct office, CU Boulder has responded quickly and imposed discipline when violations were established,” the University continued. “Disciplinary actions include temporary exclusions from campus and 45 suspensions in the current academic year. We will continue to take these actions to make it clear that protecting our community and our campus is of the utmost importance and that we will not tolerate these violations.”
The District 12 Attorney General’s Office issued a statement to CBS Denver calling the match “shameful.”
“The District Attorney’s Office will work closely with the Boulder Police Department to determine the identities of people who damaged private property and assaulted first aid because they should be fully responsible for their outrageous actions,” the prosecutor noted. of district, Michael Dougherty.
Police will review images of the site’s body cams. He Boulder Police Department encourages anyone with information or images on party social media to show up.