MADISON, Wis. - Police in riot gear used pepper spray early Sunday to clear thousands of Halloween revelers out of downtown Madison after members of the crowd started a small fire.
Officers arrested 250 people, mostly for city ordinance violations, police spokeswoman Emily Samson said. Last year, more than 300 people were arrested.
Meanwhile, SWAT teams in Boulder, Colo., arrested 18 people wearing Halloween costumes for throwing rocks and bottles at police. Officers had been sent to check reports of underage drinking in a crowd of about 1,500 people.
In Madison, the crowd peaked at about 75,000 shortly after midnight for the annual party that attracts college students from across Wisconsin and outside the state. By 1:30 a.m., about 5,000 people remained, police said.
As police on horseback tried to disperse the crowd, some of the revelers threw objects, started fights, lit the small fire on the ground and set off firecrackers and smoke bombs.
Some windows were broken but there was no serious property damage, Samson said.
Fifteen to 20 people were treated for exposure. One police officer was injured and a state trooper was taken to a hospital after an apparent heart attack, she said.
Police also arrested about 160 when an estimated 20,000 people gathered the previous night.
pumpkin rock and roll
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mccutcheon
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