"27 arrests after Maryland beats Duke"
The Washington Times
March 4, 2010
By Joseph Weber
A ROWDY CELEBRATION at the University of Maryland after the men's
basketball team upset No. 4 Duke resulted in the arrest of 27
students, the Prince George's (Md.) County Police Department said
Thursday.
The celebration began shortly after 11 p.m. Wednesday when hundreds of
students poured onto the floor of the Comcast Center when the game
ended, then continued along Route 1 -- the main strip of mostly bars
and fast-food joints on the east side of the College Park campus.
The students were met by police officers in riot-gear and on horseback
who brought the estimated crowd of roughly 1,500 under control after
about 90 minutes.
A county police spokesman said the arrests were for such offenses as
vandalism and assaulting police officers. Officers occasionally
clashes with students, including some chanting "Let's Go Maryland,"
and throwing objects. Witnesses said officers used pepper spray to
disburse the crowd. Police reported three minor injuries.
The 37,000-student university -- just a few mile outside of
Washington, D.C. -- has a reputation for rancorous behavior after
basketball games, galvanized after a 2001 Final Four loss to Duke that
was followed by a riot involving students burning stolen property on
Fraternity Row.
However, such an outburst has not occurred at Maryland, which won the
2002 NCAA basketball championship, in the past four years.
University officials said Thursday students found to have taken part
in the "riot-related behavior" will be suspended or expelled, even if
they have not been convicted in a criminal court.
"The post-game behavior of some students is inconsistent with the high
standards ... that we have set at the University of Maryland, College
Park," said Millree Williams, a university public affairs official.
"We will not let the poor behavior of a few taint the good behavior of
many."
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