Oct 13, 2014 3 min read

A large gathering at an off-campus fraternity party during California University of Pennsylvania’s homecoming weekend prompted a response of 30 police officers from numerous communities dispatched to disperse the crowd late Saturday night.

More than 400 people were packed inside Jozart Center for the Arts during the joint party organized by Phi Beta Sigma and Omega Psi Phi fraternities shortly before midnight when California police Chief Rick Encapera said officers decided it was time to break up the celebration.

Encapera said another 200 people were “trying to crash the door and get past security” inside the arts center at Second and Wood streets in the borough, which raised concerns about overcrowding in the building. Officers used pepper spray as they tried to get people to leave, which agitated the “unruly crowd,” and one woman allegedly grabbed an officer, Encapera said.

Azeeza Delphine Reed, 21, of Pittsburgh, was arrested and charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, failure to disperse, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct, Encapera said. She was taken to Washington County jail on $10,000 bond. No one else was arrested, and Encapera said there were no serious injuries reported.

The large crowd prompted California police, which had six officers on duty Saturday night, to ask emergency dispatchers to send police officers from other communities to quell the unrest. About 30 officers, some from as far away as Mt. Lebanon, South Strabane and North Strabane townships and others from nearby communities, assisted at the scene Encapera said.

“When we dispersed the party, a lot of the partygoers went to the bars,” Encapera said. “They were overloaded to begin with, and the people were trying to force their way in.”

He estimated that more than 1,000 people were in the borough streets around midnight, and the situation was brought under control shortly after 2 a.m. Sunday, with police ushering people away from the downtown bars.

Encapera said he and university officials met with the fraternities before homecoming in an attempt to keep any activities and parities open only to students. He said the large crowd that assembled at Jozart appeared to be mostly nonstudents and out-of-towners. He added the two fraternities and Jozart will be cited for holding a disorderly function.

“It’s the people who don’t belong here who caused the trouble,” he said. “Evidently, (these fraternities) didn’t seem to heed our warning.”

Cal U. spokeswoman Christine Kindl stressed that the party was not a university-sanctioned function, although campus police officers assisted borough police during the night. The university had nine campus police officers on duty Saturday night. On a typical weekend, three would be working, she said.

“We were well aware that we were going to have a large crowd, as we do every year at homecoming, and we were prepared to deal with that,” Kindl said.

She added that the university experienced no problems during homecoming festivities on campus Saturday.