Over 70 students were arrested on Saturday during the “Blarney Blowout”, an annual pre-St. Patrick’s Day celebration for the University of Massachusetts.
According to The Examiner, thousands of people gathered around an off-campus apartment complex for the “Blarney Blowout”, which is known to be an annual celebration for the students at UMass.
From Saturday night through Sunday morning, police were busy responding to the students, who were described to be “highly intoxicated” and “extremely disturbing and unsafe”. They received multiple reports of fights breaking out, injuries, sexual assault, and property damage.
When the police attempted to break up the crowd, they were hit with rocks, glass bottles, and snowballs that were being thrown by students. Pepper spray was used to tame the students and 73 were arrested, reports Guardian Liberty Voice.
The captain of the Amherst Police Force, Jennifer Gunderson, said that this day is known to get crazy and be unsafe for students; however this year was the worst.
In a statement, she said it was one of the worst scenes she had ever seen on a college campus and one of the “worst scenes we have ever had with drunkenness and unruliness. Ambulances have been extremely busy all day.” She continued, “It is extremely upsetting. It is very dangerous.”