Texas A&M students called the disturbance early Sunday morning at the Greek Olympiad Step Show after-party “wild” and said overcrowding inside Reed Arena contributed to the tense atmosphere.
Melloy Baker, a junior civil engineering major, said she witnessed the rising tensions at the after-party.
“I saw two girls fighting, and a series of other small fights,” she said.
Baker also witnessed a larger fight involving about six people, but said that it was difficult to distinguish between the instigators and the peacemakers.
“It was hard to see exactly who was fighting,” she said.
Baker, who watched from the stands because there was no space on the dance floor, thinks the fights may have been caused by the large crowd.
“People were too crowded, and (they) were bumping into each other,” she said.
Baker said she did not witness anyone using alcohol or drugs and left before the police arrived.
The Brazos County Sheriff’s Department and College Station Police Department were called to assist in the dispersement of the crowd. While attempting to clear the crowd, officers reportedly heard seven shots fired, said Bob Wiatt, director of the University Police Department.
Craig Butters, a junior industrial distribution major, lives on campus and expressed concern that UPD officers were concentrated in one location, and for that period of time were unable to respond to other criminal activity on campus.
“You can’t control an event like that I guess. Whatever happens, happens,” Butters said.
Chris Jamison, a freshman computer science major, said he cannot relate to the behavior of the unruly crowds.
“It’s crazy to me, just wild,” he said. “I don’t know why people act like that.”
Wiatt said there are currently no new leads regarding the automobile break-ins late Saturday night or the reported shots in the Reed Arena parking lot early Sunday morning, but UPD is waiting to see if any new information surfaces.
Thirteen vehicles were broken into and various items were reported stolen late Saturday night following an after-party that UPD was called to disperse at Reed Arena.
Eight of the reported thefts occurred in the parking lot next to the Hagler building, with four more reported in lot PA 48 and another in PA 46, each located near the Hagler building on Houston Street.
Among the belongings reported stolen were purses, wallets, jewelry, CDs, clothes, shoes and a digital camera.
The party was called off an hour early due to the presence of alcohol, drugs and fighting on the dance floor, Wiatt said.