August 23, 2010 3:24 PM

Earth, Wind & Fire Riot Rivals Juggalos' Antics: Beer Bottles, Fire, and Fights Oh My!

By
Caroline Black
Topics
Daily Blotter

Earth, Wind & Fire Riot Rivals Juggalos

Earth, Wind and Fire (Larry Busacca/Getty Images)

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (CBS/AP) What started as a mellow night at an Earth, Wind & Fire concert suddenly erupted into an extremely violent scene that would put even the Juggalos to shame.

Although it is unclear what initially sparked the fight (most likely a combination of alcohol and more alcohol), police say the crowd of about 400 people began throwing bottles, damaging cars, and setting fires in the city of Fort Collins, Colo., about 65 miles north of Denver.

At one point, two people were launched through a window of a local craftsman shop, but according to the shop's owner who spoke with Gawker says, "Part of the sizzle of being downtown is the unexpected. That's what makes it exciting"...and costly.

The owner of the shop expects to spend several thousand dollars in order to repair the damage.

In addition to the fighting and bottle slinging, vendors who set up downtown for the NewWestFest claim that they were robbed and that damage had been done to their tents.

Larimer County sheriff's deputies, Colorado State University police and the Fort Collins SWAT team assisted city patrol officers who had to resort to tear gas after the unruly crowd failed to heed orders and disperse.

Aside from the destruction to property, hospitals in Fort Collins and Loveland reported a total of 13 people were treated for cuts and no officers were hurt which is shocking considering the amount of force used to quell the disturbance.

At the end of the day, authorities had issued several citations for disorderly conduct or fighting in public and said more arrests were possible.


Add a Comment
by shashafrowza November 10, 2010 1:56 PM EST
LMAO put juggalos to shame. The retard who posted this must have never heard about the juggalo riot in st. louis haha but whateva
Reply to this comment
by ksmit2 August 24, 2010 7:51 AM EDT
Ah yeah, it was a "bruizer" of a bash. I had slapped on some Poly-Grip
and pulled down my best Afro wig. When I got there I thought I had
accidentally turned onto the campgrounds of Burning Man Festival.
After grooving to some heavy tunes, we started putting down some forties, and I guess things got out of hand from there. Two folks trying out for
the local roller derby team went through the window of a "crafts" shop
in case you hadn't heard. After an hour or so, i left after realizing I
was at the wrong concert. Dang Google maps!
Reply to this comment
by bingbong22 August 24, 2010 3:54 AM EDT
the riot only started when they realized it WAS an earth wind and fire concert. The reason there was so much alcohol.....see the above reason for the riot. Actually I am suprised that 70 year olds could do so much damage.
Reply to this comment
by cyberus-2009 August 24, 2010 3:31 AM EDT
Mobs and riots are like a mud slide, all you can do is get out of its way before it rolls over you.

Or you can compare them to the US Congress (or most any large political body), rather than adding to its intelligence the more there are the dumber the collective gets until its just a mindless mass.
Reply to this comment
by victorcruzradio August 24, 2010 2:11 AM EDT
This is not conducive of the typical Earthwind and Fire audience I know as I have supported this band and I play their music on my request & dedication show on KDES 98.5 FM In Palm Springs. Its a crying shame that a few drunks and agitators can snowball stupid violence so fast to the point where a great concert has to be cancelled this of course is not fair to the true fans who love the music and now who are cheated out of their hard earned money to see a show.
Reply to this comment
by tuckersmom August 23, 2010 4:38 PM EDT
It just amazes me how many idiots you can fit into one concert...must be their annual idiot conference
Reply to this comment
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