STUDENTS RIOT FOR SECOND NIGHT, EXPLODE HOMEMADE BOMB
THE DENVER POST
FORT COLLINS, Colo. — For the second night in a row, police used tear gas near the Colorado State University campus early Sunday to break up a riot marked by violence, fires and even a homemade bomb.
A string of house parties west of the CSU campus late Saturday merged into a full-blown riot. A few people were seriously injured and two people were arrested, said Fort Collins police Sgt. Craig Horton.
Horton said rioters threw rocks, bottles and Molotov cocktails at officers and severely damaged two police cars. The crowd seemed to have the riot planned — an “improvised explosive” littered 1,000 nails in the street, he said.
The latest crowd of 600-800 was smaller than Friday night’s, estimated at some 1,500 people, but was much more violent and aggressive, according to police.
And, these riots may not be the end of it, police said. “It’s a learned behavior,” Horton said. “I would expect other crowd problems to occur with this class.”
On Sunday, glass was strewn across the pavement. Street signs were missing, as was a tree. The charred scent of a bonfire hung in the air as residents near the epicenter cleaned up and surveyed the damage.
“They flipped it,” said Greg Delich, 20, as he looked at the concave roof of the silver Saturn he used to drive. “You can tell they flipped it.”
Forty officers outfitted in riot gear with a PA system began moving east during Saturday night’s riot, warning the crowd to leave. Horton said police shot tear gas and crowd-control gas to disrupt the crowd. They shot PepperBall rounds and .60 caliber rubber balls until the rioters dispersed. Classes at CSU begin Monday.
Police said they always anticipate problems when the school year starts.