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CNN Sunday Morning

Police, Citizens Clash in Salt Lake City

Aired February 24, 2002 - 10:14   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.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: As we mentioned: Beer, Olympic revelers and heavy security didn't mix well in Salt Lake City last night. But let's find out how things are going in the early morning hours out there.

CNN's Rusty Dornin is live from Salt Lake. She was not mixed up in the beer and the revelry. She's been well-behaved, and looking good.

Hi Rusty.

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well it's the most heavily guarded city probably in the world Kyra. There haven't been any security threats or terrorism threats that materialized, and the only violent confrontation came during a beer bash on the final night of partying in downtown Salt Lake City.

Thousands of people had jammed the streets and were trying to get in the Bud World, which is the Budweiser pavilion, for sort of last call to get their last beer right before midnight. Well, the security lines weren't going fast enough. People started climbing fences and spilling into the streets, and that's when 75 riot-clad police came in and took over.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, that's normal for what we do. The officer's responsibilities in this case are to move the crowd along and to make sure that they don't get in a situation where they're starting to destroy property and that is exactly what had happened. Some of the port-a-potty bathroom-type things were being tipped over in the south Main Street area. Some businesses were being threatened with property damage and as that continued to escalate, our officers were deployed in that fashion.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DORNIN: Even one of the coffee shops that we happened to frequent had a bottle thrown through the window. There were also throwing bottles at officers. There were some other property damage done, but apparently no one was injured even after police started firing non-lethal bullets into the crowd.

Now this puts a slight pall on the end of the Olympics although this had been one that's been known by scandals and protests and threats of international teams pulling out. But as I said, this is only the violent confrontation that has happened during these games.

Now, of course, what people are looking forward to, the USA- Canada hockey game, which takes place early this afternoon here. It will be the first time that U.S. will be looking at a possibility of a gold medal since 1980's Miracle on Ice and for Canada it's been even longer. They got a gold medal in 1952, and then, of course, that will -- closing ceremonies will follow all of that tonight and the flame for the Winter 2002 Olympics will be extinguished -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: There you go, all the good stuff. All right, Rusty Dornin from Salt Lake. Thanks so much.

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