Officers injured responding to massive party at University of Colorado Boulder
Hundreds gathered at Boulder, Colorado's University Hill on Saturday night, prompting police to disperse the massive party, Boulder police said Saturday. An estimated 500 to 800 people were there at the height of the incident, according to authorities.
CBS Denver reports that SWAT team members helped police, who used a siren and gas to break up the event. Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold told reporters about two canisters' worth of tear gas was used. Herold added that no rubber bullets were used to her knowledge.
The crowd turned violent, however, and some officers were injured as bricks and rocks were thrown at them, Boulder police told CBS Denver. A firetruck was damaged and a car was overturned.
By 9 p.m., everyone had dispersed, leaving broken glass and debris on the streets. Some residents cleaned up the mess.
No arrests were made from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., and Herold said during a press conference that she believed it "would not be considered best practices to send officers" into the crowd of people. Instead, the police department is relying on bodycam footage, which will be released following an investigation.
An unidentified man told CBS Denver the party and its subsequent clash with police was bound to happen. "When we're all caged up for months there's going to be an explosion, and this was the explosion," the man said.
The University of Colorado Boulder issued a statement condemning the party. "Any student found responsible for acts of violence toward law enforcement or first responders will be removed from CU Boulder and not readmitted," the University tweeted.
"When health officials and police have referred public health order violations to our student conduct office, CU Boulder has responded quickly and imposed discipline when violations were established," the University continued. "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."
The 12th Judicial District Attorney's Office issued a statement to CBS Denver calling the party "shameful."
"The District Attorney's Office will work closely with the Boulder Police Department to determine the identities of the people who damaged private property and assaulted first responders because they should be held fully responsible for their outrageous actions," District Attorney Michael Dougherty noted.
Police will be reviewing body cam footage from the scene. The Boulder Police Department is encouraging anyone with information or social media footage from the party to come forward.
