14 arrested in post-Super Bowl fracas on UMass-Amherst campus; DA vows to ‘vigorously prosecute’ all suspects

By Colin A. Young, Globe Correspondent

A disturbance on the University of Massachusetts Amherst campus following the New England Patriots’ Super Bowl loss Sunday night ended with the arrests of 13 students and one non-student. The students will face school sanctions as well as criminal charges, officials said.

UMass Amherst police said about 1,500 people gathered in the Southwest residential area of the campus when the Super Bowl ended around 10 p.m. Police said in a statement that officers told the growing crowd to disperse at 10:08 p.m., after “the crowd became unruly and a number of fights broke out.”

The 14 arrested will face charges of failure to disperse, disorderly conduct, and, in some cases, rioting. They are to be arraigned Tuesdsay in Eastern Hampshire District Court.

“Our office intends to vigorously prosecute all individuals who were part of the riots on the University of Massachusetts campus,” Northwestern District Attorney David E. Sullivan said in a statement. “This behavior diminishes the image of the university and created a public safety hazard for the community.”

In a statement, UMass Amherst officials said the students will also face school discipline.

“Dean Enku Gelaye will review the cases under the code of student conduct, with students facing potential sanctions that can range up to suspension or expulsion,” the statement said.

University spokesman Daniel Fitzgibbons said there were no reports of injuries or damage stemming from the incident.