EAST LANSING, Mich., April 6 (UPI) -- Dozens of people were arrested early Sunday when police used tear gas to disperse a wild party near the Michigan State campus that turned violent, police said.
The 52 people arrested, including 28 MSU students, were expected to be arraigned Monday, the Detroit Free Press reported. East Lansing Police Chief Tom Wibert said those taken into custody could face fines, jail time and expulsion from school.
Those arrested were among 3,000 to 4,000 people who showed up for Cedar Fest Saturday night. The revelers had started throwing things and set two dumpsters on fire shortly 1 a.m., the newspaper reported.
One witness, Ashley Pixley, 21, said she heard people yelling, "'We want tear gas! We want tear gas!"
Wibert said his officers had little choice in dealing with the unruly crowd.
"I don't know what we could have done different to avoid it," Wibert said. "When 4,000 people suddenly decide that they want to take the streets, it's pretty hard for 50 police officers to stop them."
Later Sunday morning, the smell of stale beer lingered and the ground was littered with beer cans and other trash, the newspaper said.
"It's rank," said Dave Schwanky, 20, an MSU junior.
