MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — A situation is developing on Spruce Street near the campus of West Virginia University involving a significant congregation of people and police.
Morgantown Police successfully a significant crowd, possibly a large party. The situation was described to Dominion Post reporter Will Dean as “riot conditions.”
Chief Preston said no students were arrested or touched. Smoke and noise were enough
— William Dean (@WillDean_DP) February 1, 2019
Police are attempting to disperse a large party on Spruce Street but had beer bottles thrown at them, according to the scanner. They are now backing down the hill due to “riot conditions”
— William Dean (@WillDean_DP) February 1, 2019
Additional reporting from the scene indicates a mattress was set on fire.
West Virginia University has been closed due to a combination of frigid temperatures and snow since Wednesday afternoon.
WVU has released the following statement.
It is unfortunate that what began today on Spruce Street as a playful time in the snow, turned into a dangerous and threatening situation for students and law enforcement officers alike.
The escalation apparently began when the several hundred students and others who had gathered refused reasonable instructions to disperse and began tossing glass bottles and other debris toward officers, resulting in law enforcement taking action.
University officials will review videos of the situation to determine if any charges should be filed.
We remind our students that our actions should represent our Mountaineer values. Behave responsibly, be accountable and please comply with police, who want to keep our campus, city and all of our first responders safe through this weather.
MPD attemted to disperse the crowd with a loud siren. It only excited the crowd so they lit a fire pic.twitter.com/btvNJFcpiV
— William Dean (@WillDean_DP) February 1, 2019
A spokesman for the City of Morgantown said police are currently responding to the scene.
The MPD is currently responding to an incident on North Spruce Street involving a large crowd. The MPD is working to disperse the crowd. Chief Preston is not currently available for comment. We will provide more information as it becomes available.
A video of the scene was shared on Twitter and Instagram, showing officers appear to be pointing paint guns into the crowd. Be advised, the video includes offensive language.
West Virginia is an absolute war zone @wvubarstool pic.twitter.com/IurSfWihlD
— 5th Year (@5thYear) February 1, 2019
This is a developing story and will be updated frequently.