MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Investigators began combing social media and using tips from the public to identify those responsible for vandalism and property destruction in the aftermath of West Virginia beating fourth-ranked Baylor 41-27.
University and community officials met Monday to assess the latest round of postgame unruliness and discuss the next steps to identify and punish those who committed damage.
Corey Farris, dean of students at WVU, was promising quick action once any students were identified. He said punishments could include expulsion in addition to any criminal charges.
“These are hooligans that we don’t want in the city and so, if they’re part of the university in any way, shape or form, we’ll work our darnedest to expel them from the university,” Farris said during an appearance on MetroNews “Talkline.”
“As has happened in the past, when things like this in particular have gotten out of hand, we’ve expelled students and so we’ll continue to do that.”
Bob Roberts, chief of police for the university, said crowd control was not a problem immediately after the game. That changed, he said, around 10:30 p.m. Saturday night. He noted it wasn’t just students involved.
“Social media kicked in and we started having the crowds show up and issues there,” Roberts said. “Probably the most disturbing piece to me was the aggressiveness, having rocks and bottles thrown at first responders.”
Morgantown police chief Ed Preston said there were additional law enforcement officers on the job, though crowds quickly outnumbered them. Officers who had gone home after staffing the Baylor game were called back to work to respond to multiple events, including street fires, at several different locations in Morgantown.
“We used all of the Morgantown Police Department resources. We used resources from the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Department, Westover Police Department, State Police. Then we had, in reserve, resources from Marion County and Preston County,” Preston said.
Pepper spray was among the chemicals used to disperse crowds in downtown Morgantown and Sunnyside.
“When it turned from a social gathering into a riot, that’s when the determinations had to be made to use the chemical munitions,” Preston said.
More than half a dozen people were arrested Saturday night. No serious injuries were reported.
Preston said there is only so much law enforcement officers can do to deter such bad behavior.
“I think the only thing that’s going to stop it from happening again is a change in the culture of the students and those individuals who come to meet those students or celebrate after football games or other sporting event wins,” he said.
Roberts said the riot-like atmosphere swelled thanks to onlookers who weren’t necessarily participating.
“I just think that we need to remember that our students are part of the community,” he said. “And we need them to act as young adults and not participate in this kind of stuff—either by watching or being active participants.”