Witnesses report force used by police during Halloween weekend

Kent City Police shot pepper spray or Mace into the Sigma Nu Annex on University Drive last Saturday during Kent’s Halloween celebration, according to eyewitness accounts.

Both Kent City Law Director Jim Silver and Greg Jarvie, Kent State associate vice president and dean of students, confirmed there was an incident involving the use of pepper spray pellets.

Silver said the police did not aim at anyone when firing the pepper spray on University Drive.

No one was arrested at the incident at the Sigma Nu Annex at 131 University Drive, and police didn’t return repeated calls from the Stater this afternoon.

Sigma Nu President Jake Myers had no comment, but two other witnesses at the house at the time of the incident, around 1 a.m., gave similar accounts and agreed on almost all details.

The witnesses asked to remain anonymous.

They said they were on their porch watching police officers rough up people and partygoers throw beer bottles.

After getting people to clear out of the party, the witnesses joined others inside the house, locked the doors and turned off the lights.

Moments later police officers knocked loudly on a door. No one answered, and then the door was kicked in and pepper spray or Mace was sprayed into the house.

At that point, both witnesses heard the officers yell, “This is what happens when you don’t cooperate.”

People climbed the stairs, coughing and vomiting from the fumes, in order to get to the upstairs rooms. One witness said a woman at the house needed to be taken to the hospital.

Contact public affairs reporters Tyrel Linkhorn, Andrew Schiller and Amadeus Smith at [email protected], [email protected] and [email protected].