17 arrested, mostly non-students, after on-campus celebration gets out of hand at UD

DAYTON — More than a dozen people were arrested after an on-campus celebration got out of hand over the weekend at the University of Dayton.

There were 17 people arrested, 13 of whom were not students, on Saturday March 25 during a belated St. Patrick’s Day celebration, a week after students got back on campus from spring break, according to a spokesperson for UD.

Nine people, including one student, were arrested related to a gathering on Lowes Street.

Video from our News Center 7 crew on scene Saturday showed officers breaking up a large crowd of people gathered on Lowes Street.

>> PREVIOUS COVERAGE: ‘Everyone was running, it was crazy;’ UD students react after on-campus celebration got out of hand

Just after 4 p.m. Saturday, Dayton officers called out a “99″ or a call for backup, after the crowd got out of control.

“We do want to acknowledge those students who stayed away, acted responsibly and immediately followed law enforcement orders Saturday,” Savalas Kidd, assistant vice president and chief of police said in a statement. “However, there’s no excuse for the destructive, unsafe behavior we saw from some people in the student neighborhood. Jeopardizing the safety and security of our community cannot and will not be tolerated. When our officers witness behavior that is unsafe or violates the law, it is their duty to take action to protect our campus community.”

What had started slowly, with students gathering as early as 4 a.m., turned from party to potential danger a “small group destroyed a vehicle,” overturned it and jumped on top of it, UD said in a statement Saturday.

>>PHOTOS: Officers breaking up large gathering at University of Dayton celebration

Officers used pepper-gas launchers to clear the streets and get people away from the vehicle.

“It was wheels up and then they started tear-gassing, we did our best to get out, then we were hanging at the house coughing and wincing,” Preston Rodgers said.

Dayton police reports indicated people threw beer bottles and cans, hurting some officers as they cleared the area.

The university said there will be further discussions internally and with Dayton officers about how the university responds to future large campus gatherings, specifically during the spring semester.

One person arrested, Paul Belanich, a University of Cincinnati student, appeared in court Monday, on charges of assault.

His bond was set at $5,000.

We will continue following this developing story and update as new information becomes available.

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