Friday, April 16, 2004:

Midnight

Ames Police received an anonymous complaint of several people in a yard being noisy in the 2600 block of Hunt Street.

Police responded to 2617 Hunt Street where one person was cited for Possession of Alcohol Under the Legal Age and another was cited for a nuisance party.

This was the same block where the larger party on Saturday was dispersed by police, leading to the events of the riot.

* Saturday, April 17

11:22 p.m.

The police received a complaint of another large party at Sheldon Avenue and Hunt Street.

The bootlegging team was sent to 2644 Hunt Street at 11:44 p.m.

Individuals were charging $5 per person to enter the party and had two tapped kegs without a permit (city ordinance requires a permit from the city to tap more than one keg).

At this time, officers estimated the crowd size to be between 300 to 400.

Two uniformed officers, two bicycle patrol officer and a supervisor were dispatched.

No officers were in riot gear.

Two officers and the supervisor went into the building, secured the keg tappers, seized illegal money and charged an individual with bootlegging.

Officers also arrested a person for public intoxication, who attempted to flee. As they subdued the individual, the crowd began to throw objects at the officers.

The officers in the apartment were told to stay inside due to the violent nature of the crowd.

11:57 p.m.

Police withdrew from the party with two persons charged with public intoxication, and ordered to regroup at Camp Timm Field.

* Sunday, April 18, 2004:

12:10 a.m.

Two supervisors returned to assist the officers still in the building.

Command staff and officers returned to assess the situation on Hunt Street and shut down the party because of crowd behavior.

Police were wearing helmets and face shields to protect themselves from flying debris, however, they did not put on full “riot gear,” although some had gas masks on their belt and some had short batons available.

Police said the intent at the time was to move the remaining crowd to the arboretum and away from Welch Avenue.

Officers also found the crowd reduced to fewer than 100.

Police were later told that the partygoers who had left had either walked North on Sheldon Avenue toward Lincoln Way or others had walked east on Hunt Street toward Welch Avenue.

12:35 a.m.

The group doubled in size and continued their movement to Welch Avenue.

By 12:35 a.m. groups arrived on Welch Avenue.

As they entered Welch Avenue, a sign was broken off and thrown at the Vogue Vision Center. Other windows at the center were broken out and barricades were tossed and destroyed, as well

Fights broke out, other windows were shattered and rocks and other objects were hurled at the police. A fire was also started at the base of the clock tower.

12:25 – 1:00 a.m.

Three groups formed: 1) Hunt and Welch, 2) Chamberlain between Welch and Hayward and 3) Lincoln Way and Welch. However, officers did not immediately realize there was a third group.

The Patrol Commander requested to put additional officers in pairs of two on Welch Avenue to calm the situation.

Officers were told to report to Fire Station #2 and suit up with protective crowd control gear.

1:00 a.m.

Public address announcements were given from a transport van on Welch Avenue from Knapp south to Chamberlain.

Officers used chemical agents to assist in the process of dispersing the crowd, in accordance with the Force Continuum.

At the same time, members of the Story County Sheriff’s Office were dealing with a large crowd that had formed in the area of Lincoln Way and Welch Avenue.

Individuals hurled bottles and beer cans off apartment balconies at the northeast corner of Knapp and Welch Avenue,

Dumpsters were set on fire. Some were pushed into vehicles and a CyRide bus was surrounded.

Power went out for a few seconds in the Campustown area, leaving it entirely dark, as light poles were torn down,

Story County Sheriff’s deputies and Ames officers that came to assist in the area of Lincoln Way and Welch Avenue had chucks of cement lobbed at them from people by the Friley Hall Arches, which people were getting by destroying the hall’s concrete retaining wall.

4:00 a.m.

The last group was confronted in the area of Lincoln Way and Welch Avenue. Officers were instructed to arrest anyone not immediately dispersing.

4:30 a.m.

Order was restored.

Response from Ames Police Chief Loras Jaeger:

“Iowa State University Officials, city officials and I continually encouraged people to leave Welch Avenue, but many refused or would walk away and then reappear. Other would tell us they were not part of the disturbance and they had every right to be there watching. They either did not understand or did not care that their presence in the crowd encouraged those committing acts of vandalism or violence. I had others come to me complaining they had been sprayed with chemicals and had not been doing anything wrong. But, they also would not leave Welch Avenue.”

“For those that were unaware to what was occurring, the Ames Police Department apologizes. I hope that they understand that in this type of riot environment, it is not possible to determine motives in the center of this activity. We have been in the process of the past week of developing a notification protocol with bar owners.”

“I have either been the Director of Public Safety at Iowa State University of Ames Police Chief for over 13 years. I was involved in the 1992 disturbance and the 1994 disturbance. This one was different. In both 1992 and 1994, I could walk into the crowd in uniform. I could not do that this time because of the violent nature of the crowd. Also, in 1994 the disturbance started on Franklin Avenue, but when they entered Welch Avenue, they blended into that crowd and the disturbance ended. This year, the crowd entering Welch Avenue continued to be disruptive and encouraged other to join. Also, the use of cellular phones was significant.”

Timeline and quotes taken from an April 27 memo from Ames Police Chief Loras Jaeger to the Ames City Manager’s Office