Crowd destroys deputy's cruiser

By Jeremy Pawloski and Christian Hill | THE OLYMPIAN • Published February 15, 2008

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But deputies were unable to start their own car at the scene. Chamberlain said the car likely had mechanical problems. The deputy driving the car was able to shut off the electronic equipment in the car and take what items she could before leaving it, he said.

“That’s when the problems started,” Kessler said. “The car was attacked.”

Some in the swelling crowd kicked the patrol car, broke its window, wrote graffiti on it with black marker and rolled the vehicle onto its roof, Kessler said. Two hundred people were at the scene at one point, she said.

Chamberlain said that three other sheriff's patrol cars and a campus police car were damaged in addition to the one that didn't start.

Damages to the wrecked patrol car is estimated at about $25,000, he said. Cumulative damage to all of the cars will likely be more that $30,000.

In addition, a laptop computer and radar gun were taken from the wrecked car, Kessler said. They have not been recovered, she said. No weapons were taken.

Riot police from the State Patrol and sheriff’s office arrived at the scene and the crowd quickly dispersed. Hilden said authorities used pepper spray to disperse the crowd. No other arrests were made.

Blood was found on the patrol car from people who apparently cut themselves on broken glass, Kessler said. It will be tested in an attempt to identify suspects, she said.

Deputies suffered minor injuries that didn’t required hospitalization or major treatment, Chamberlain said.

After the arrest, Kessler said, a member of the hip-hop group reportedly told the crowd, “They’re taking one of our people. Go take care of it.”

“It sounds like the band may have been encouraging them a little,” she said.

But some of the people at the concert said the band member only told the crowd to get the officer’s badge number and look after the man.

A student activities group on campus sponsored the concert, said Jason Wettstein, a college spokesman. Art Costantino, vice of student affairs, said the man who was arrested was not an Evergreen student.

Check back at TheOlympian.com for further details.

Online reporter April Chan and reporter Venice Buhain contributed to this story.