Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live At Daybreak

Rowdy Maryland Fans Party in College Park

Aired April 02, 2002 - 06:47   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: It is quiet now on the streets of College Park, Maryland, but just hours ago, fans got out of hand as they celebrated Maryland's first national basketball championship.

Joining me with an update now is reporter Nancy Weiner of our affiliate station WJLA.

Tell us what happened last night, Nancy.

NANCY WEINER, WJLA-TV REPORTER: Well, Carol, it was a very rowdy night. It didn't start out looking like it was going to be that bad, but as the night wore on, people did start getting a little bit out of control. This post office, one of two buildings here in College Park that were vandalized. And police say that because Terrapins fans have a little habit of getting out of control after big games, last night they were ready for anything.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(CROWD SCREAMING)

WEINER (voice-over): The natural exuberance fans felt at seeing their beloved Terps win the national championship spilled out of college Park bars and into the streets. Thousands of Maryland students and alumni partied in the middle of a blocked off Route 1 as police in riot gear looked on.

At first it appeared the celebration would simply be a benign expression of jubilation. But within an hour of game's end, some revelers started looking for trouble, throwing bottles and tree branches at police and pulling down road signs. They smashed the windows of the post office and a bike shop whose employees tried desperately to keep the store from getting looted.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was -- went inside to dial 911. And as soon as I came out, I got hit with a board.

WEINER: For police, the final straw came when students set a large bonfire on Route 1. Officers moved in to disperse the crowd using shields and pepper gas pellets. A few students were injured in the melee. And despite head-to-toe protective gear, some police got hurt too.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One of my troopers was assaulted. We made the arrest of the person who hit him in the face with a board. He'll be charged accordingly.

WEINER: Some students described the night as just a way to let off steam after a big win. Others said rioters give the school a bad name.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're going crazy. Doesn't reflect on everybody, but they're going crazy on us.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think alcohol was a big factor. I mean everybody was partying at the bars and came out afterwards. Bottles are crashing right now so that just shows you what the students do here.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WEINER: Now to be fair, the celebrations on campus were a lot more orderly than those out here in the city of College Park where the bars are located. Luckily, Carol, no one was injured seriously.

COSTELLO: Nancy, did you get a sense that because of the large police presence that may have made students overreact? I mean they kind of wanted to party to show the police that it was their campus, their team and they're going to do what they want.

WEINER: Well what you saw was a lot of really orderly partying early on. And when they were doing that, the police really stayed a distance away. It was only once people started throwing bottles, throwing barricades that the police started to move in. So that's certainly going to be a source of debate today over who caused this to escalate, was it the students or was it the police presence?

COSTELLO: All right, Nancy Weiner, thank you. From our friends at WJLA in Washington, D.C.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com