2 arrested after police use tear gas to disperse rioting crowd of 400 in Oregon college town

2 arrested after 400 riot in Ore. college town

EUGENE, Ore. — Police in the Oregon college town of Eugene used tear gas to disperse about a crowd of 400 people who threw bottles at officers, broke car windows, and tore down street signs in a residential neighborhood.

Police say no injuries were reported, but two people were arrested on charges stemming from the riot late Friday.

Eugene is the home of the University of Oregon. Officers say college students often rent large homes in the area with basements that can hold several hundred people.

Police say they called in 50 officers from three other agencies to assist them in dispersing the crowd. Twenty-four-year-old Odin Erickson faces rioting, interfering with police and criminal mischief counts; 19-year-old Derek Brown was charged with disorderly conduct.

Police chief Pete Kerns calls the incident “disappointing.”