65 Arrested in Melee Near Cal State Chico

A party outside a student apartment complex near Cal State Chico erupted into a violent confrontation between revelers and police that resulted in 65 arrests and several dozen minor injuries, authorities said Saturday.

Chico police, joined by reinforcements from more than a dozen neighboring law enforcement agencies, struggled for 5 1/2 hours to control the crowd that swelled from 500 people late Friday to more than 1,000 before dawn on Saturday, authorities said.

“At one point, I looked outside and saw a wall of people coming down the street,” said Maxwell Eagye, a college junior who was working at a local liquor store when the melee erupted. “There were dumpsters on fire, ambulances out, a helicopter (flying overhead) and every street sign in the entire area had been pulled out of the ground.”

Authorities said there were no serious injuries, but hospitals in the town, 90 miles north of Sacramento, reported treating several dozen party-goers and police officers who had been beaten, trampled or cut by broken bottles.

Most of the arrests were for misdemeanor offenses, such as failure to disperse, but authorities said at least three people face possible felony charges of assaulting police officers.

The confrontation, which police described as a riot, began outside the Sierra West apartments, a private complex that caters to university students. The complex is known by local residents as “The Zoo” because of the many parties held there.

Several witnesses said the party was held in conjunction with a citywide celebration known as “Rancho Chico Days,” although it was not an official part of the festival, authorities said. The three-day celebration of the town’s frontier heritage, sponsored by local businesses, has not officially involved the university since 1987, when 2,000 participants smashed windows, stomped on cars and hurled bottles at police.

Local merchants said that the highlight of this year’s celebration--the annual downtown parade--was held Saturday afternoon without incident.

The Chico confrontation came one week after two nights of disturbances related to a festival at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. In that outbreak, 100 people were injured and 110 others were arrested.

To guard against a possible recurrence of violence, Chico police called in officers from several nearby agencies Saturday night.

Police described the crowd as “extremely hostile and aggressive” and said hundreds of revelers threw rocks, bottles and other objects at them.

Damage estimates were unavailable. About six large windows were reported smashed at a motorcycle shop, where police in riot gear stood their ground against the oncoming crowd.