Crime surge accompanies Penn Relays

Assault, shooting reported Spontaneous parties which sprung up near campus after the end of the Penn Relays last month turned violent several times, causing injuries to students and damage to property, University Police Commissioner John Kuprevich said last week. Kuprevich said police responded to several reports of gunshots in the late evening on Saturday, April 23. They also received reports of students being pulled out of a car and severely beaten, and tourists whose car was damaged as they drove through the area. Much of the criminal activity was centered around two area "hot-spots" -- the intersection of 40th and Chestnut streets, and Spruce Street, between 34th and 38th streets -- Kuprevich said. According to Kuprevich, it appears that many students have not reported incidents to his department. As a result, University Police officers are currently looking into the incidents in order to obtain a clearer picture of what occurred, he added. "Incidents occurred that were of concern where the congestion and crowd level and the use of alcohol may have had an influence," Kuprevich said. Kuprevich emphasized that the incidents were in no way riotous, adding that the incidents were isolated in nature. "The whole event was not out of control," Kuprevich said. Three students were pulled out of their car at about 9 p.m. Saturday and beaten by a group of men, Kuprevich said. They were all then taken to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania with wounds to the head and face. At about 11:33 p.m., a student was robbed at 40th and Spruce streets and then struck on the head with a bottle, University Police reports reveal. That student was then transported to HUP for injuries to the head. Earlier Saturday, two students were attacked by a group of men at 37th and Spruce streets, at about 12 p.m. A Domino's Pizza employee was also robbed later while making a delivery to Superblock, according to his store manager. On Friday, a student was robbed at knifepoint at 37th and Spruce streets at about 3:11 a.m. A woman was stabbed at 40th and Spruce streets, and a University employee was robbed by three men at 34th and Walnut streets at 2 p.m. On Saturday night, at 40th and Chestnut streets, about 1,000 people blocked the intersection while partying, University Police Sergeant Mike Fink said at the scene. And before this crowd could be dispersed, three officer assist calls -- only used in emergencies -- were placed. Three Philadelphia Police districts also joined University Police and Philadelphia's 18th Police District in clearing the street, Philadelphia Police Captain John McGinnis said. When the crowd turned violent, a couple from New Jersey found themselves in the middle of the melee. While driving through 40th and Chestnut streets, the couple had their antenna ripped off, and all the windows of their Lexus automobile broken. "We were at the Annenberg Theater and we stopped at Chili's to eat," said a woman who was in the car and asked to not be identified. "It looked like a mob. "They swarmed, they wouldn't let anyone down the street," she added. "All I wanted to do is get out of this God-damned neighborhood." McGinnis said he spoke to the couple. "The people that had their car vandalized were not used to being around large groups of black people," he said. "All she could say was that it made her think of the L.A. riots." A woman from Virginia reported a similar incident to Philadelphia Police. People at 40th and Chestnut concurred with the woman's description. "They were bashing white people," Diane Shaw, a resident of West Philadelphia, said. "When white people came through, they started throwing bottles and drinks on them." At about this time, University Police responded to several reports of gunshots in the area. University Police Officer Mel Roberts arrived on the scene at about 11:40 p.m. Upon his arrival, he heard six more rounds go off. "I heard a car came through, got hit by a bottle and came back [to shoot at him]," said a University student who asked to not be identified. "People were down and running." Another person on the scene said that she saw people shooting from a motorcycle. Philadelphia Police Lieutenant Bruce Kopena said although crowds at 40th and Chestnut streets are always associated with Penn Relays, this year was the worst. "Somebody shooting a gun in a large crowd is a major problem," Kopena said. "People not being safe in their cars is a major problem." Kopena added, however, that "there were sufficient police here from three districts [on top of the 18th district]," to deal with the problems. Other incidents also occurred in the area. One student, who asked to not be identified, said a car drove into him at 40th and Locust streets Saturday night, after running a stop sign. When he tried to get up from the car, the driver threw a bottle at him, and a passenger yelled, "you should have hit the white boy harder." He added, though, that he was too shocked to call University Police, and that he just went to his room, got into bed, and shook for an hour. Although numerous students complained of harassment and fear of being on campus, Kuprevich said the situation was under control. "To categorize the whole evening as a riot is not what occurred," he said. "If you start to put it into perspective, it was not something riotous or out of control." Kuprevich, who was not in Philadelphia Saturday night, added that, "during this event, the level of noise activity is what the community normally complains about the students doing." He added that this year's Spring Fling was more dangerous, although he acknowledged there were no reports of gunfire or assaults to motorists over the April 15 weekend. Kuprevich said University Police needs to improve its crowd control for next year's Penn Relays, by stepping up patrols to the level of the Greek Picnic, an annual event in Philadelphia which is the largest gathering of black fraternity and sorority members in the nation. University Director of Police and Security Patrol Operations George Clisby said police did not anticipate the incidents. "I don't know if we could have anticipated [the incidents] occurring," Clisby said. "?I don't think we could have anticipated that this would have occurred, and staffing may or may not have been the complete solution with solving that crowd problem." Interim President Claire Fagin said although she is confident that University Police did a good job given the circumstances, she thinks more planning is needed for next year. "It seems to me that if things like this have happened before, there should have been better coverage from Philadelphia [Police] and our [police]," she said. "You have to prevent this kind of thing from reaching this level. If you know it happened last year, it shouldn't have happened this year, and it definitely shouldn't happen next year."