More than two hours into the riots that engulfed the streets Cedar Village, riot police on scene began intervening.
Even though they were largely outnumbered, police grabbed nearby students and began making arrests. Many fires have been extinguished.
East Lansing police Chief Julie Liebler said there are no confirmed injuries at this time but declined further comment.
The situation escalated quickly as rioters crowded around four large fires in the complex, with the flames from one blaze reaching at least 15 feet high. One group of nearby residents even threw a mattress from their apartment into the flames.
“They just stopped there and started chasing everyone,” physiology junior Ronak Patel said. “There’s a mob mentality going right now.”
One spectator at the scene expressed frustration, holding a sign that read “Where was the riot when Trayvon Martin was shot?” Mathematics junior Ryan Hibbs said he felt the riots wasted energy.
“I just find it really frustrating that everyone throws a f***ing riot when we win a football game of no consequence, but no one gives a s*** when real things are happening,” Hibbs said.
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