Any University of Maryland student found guilty of violence charges in the celebrations after the basketball team’s victory Saturday night over Duke University will be expelled, Maryland officials said yesterday.
“We don’t know yet” whether any students were arrested, said George Cathcart, director of communications for the university, but if any students are found guilty, they will be thrown out of school.
Prince George’s County police said as many as 18 people were arrested in College Park as basketball fans celebrated after the Terrapins’ 99-92 overtime victory over the Blue Devils. Police said they did not know whether any of those arrested were students.
Similar reactions to games against Duke in recent years prompted the Board of Regents to adopt regulations to expel students found guilty of violence related to sporting events.
“The uproar was shorter than previous [outbursts]. We had much less damage,” said Maj. Cathy Atwell, a University Police spokeswoman. “The arrests were made by Prince George’s County police. Those arrested will be going through the county’s judicial system.”
Police yesterday were compiling the names and addresses of those charged with misdemeanors, including failure to obey lawful orders, disorderly conduct and assault. Those arrested will be scheduled for hearings before a District Court commissioner within a couple of weeks.
Anticipating a rowdy result on Saturday night from the 17,950 fans jammed into Comcast Center, University of Maryland police were standing ready with assistance from officers from Prince George’s County, Maryland State Police and U.S. Park Police.
The celebrants first poured onto the Comcast Center court, but officials said they were neither violent nor profane. An estimated 3,000 swarmed off campus into downtown College Park. They reportedly threw projectiles from roofs, overturned newspaper boxes and set fires to trash cans and sofas. U.S. Route 1 was closed for 90 minutes, and police scattered the crowd with pepper spray.
No estimate of damage was made this year. In 2001, after losing to Duke in the Final Four, and in 2002, after the Terps won the national chamionship, fans did extensive damage.
The campus newspaper, the Diamondback, quoted several students this time as saying they would be onlookers only because they did not want to be expelled. Other students covered their faces to avoid being identified from photographs snapped at the scene.
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