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Oct. 12, 2008
-- See video of the riots at the bottom of this page --About 35 officers spread across Ivy Street between Third and Fourth streets shooting people with rubber bullets as rioters threw bricks and bottles about 1 a.m. Sunday.
People consecutively lit about 12 fires while police shot pepper balls, a paint ball filled with an irritant, at students lining the streets in a riot that spread from Sixth Street to First Avenue downtown, said Lt. Jennifer Gonzalez of the Chico Police Department.
Police tried to break up a party at Sixth and Cherry streets but couldn't gain control of the crowd that moved into the streets, said junior Jon Friedman who was at the party.
"Fights started happening because people didn't want to leave," Friedman said.
Chico police did not return calls by press time.
More than 100 people cheered around a couch fire between Third and Fourth streets on Ivy Street as women on the shoulders of men flashed the crowd.
At 1 a.m. police in riot gear holding ballistic shields marched down Ivy Street yelling to "Get the fuck back," and "Go that way," while hitting people with batons and rubber bullets.
Hundreds more people lined the sidewalks and stood in the streets yelling "Small dick," "You're out of line," and "Fuck the police," under a cloud of smoke.
Junior Sean Kaford was standing near the Sigma Chi house when police shot him in the leg with a pepper ball.
He said he understood why police shot him as about 50 men chanted "Chico, Chico, Chico," in the intersection for Fourth and Ivy streets.
"SWAT did what they had to do for a riot," Kaford said.
Rioters also started a fire in a planter box near Whitney Hall.
Two University Police officers stood guard near the planter box in an attempt to keep the riot from spreading onto campus, said officer Dale Glander.
Police shot student Paul Smith three times, ripping his shorts, he said.
"They decide to shoot us like fucking cattle," Smith said.
Genny McLaren, Meghan Moriarty, Katy Sweeny, Nicole Williams and Megan Wilson contributed to this article
Genny can be reached at managingeditor@theorion.com
Rioters set a bonfire Video by Megan Wilson
Officers create barricade Video by Megan Wilson
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