EUGENE, Ore — Officers had glass bottles and canned food thrown at them when they attempted to break up a party that drew as many as 1,000 people to a neighborhood near the University of Oregon, police said.
An estimated 500-1,000 were reported to be blocking the roadway on 16th Avenue between Patterson Street and Hilyard Street, just a couple of blocks away from campus.
Eugene Police Chief Chris Skinner said the weekend party included underage drinkers, college-age individuals and their parents. In a news release, Skinner called the party an embarrassment for those involved and said the attempted assault on officers was inexcusable.
"We all understand the excitement Spring brings but these irresponsible individuals, including parents and their college-aged children should be ashamed," said Skinner. "What they did was force our operations to go into what is termed 'priority calls.' This means that much of the rest of the community has to have their individual calls for service placed on hold while we deal with people who are not able to self-regulate or observe our community’s standards of behavior. I commend our officers for showing tremendous restraint. The attempted assault on our police officers is inexcusable."
The party occurred as the University of Oregon was hosting “Duck Day," a fan festival named after the school's mascot that includes an intra-squad football game and other events
Following the football game, the city called in 10 officers on overtime to patrol the area around the university. The officers intervened in numerous house parties and issued more than two dozen citations for alcohol possession by minors and open container violations, police said.
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