Ohio State official defends use of pepper spray to disperse celebrating fans

COLUMBUS, Ohio — An Ohio State University official defended the police's use of pepper spray to drive away gleeful Buckeye fans from campus landmarks following Monday's football national championship victory.

"Unfortunately, when crowds of that size create a dangerous environment, [a chemical deterrent] is a standard tool used for crowd safety and officer safety," said Dan Hedman, spokesman for the OSU administration and planning department, in an interview Tuesday.

Hedman said law enforcement officers used pepper spray to disperse hundreds of fans who broke into Ohio Stadium early Tuesday morning and gathered around Mirror Lake, a campus pond. in both cases, he said, police gave a verbal warning beforehand.

As a result, Hedman said, the crowds were effectively dispersed without further incident, and no arrests were reported on campus in the hours following the game.

"Our number-one priority remains the safety of our entire campus community," he said.

Despite the deterrent, revelers succeeded in tearing down a goalpost at the south end of the Ohio Stadium, Hedman said. He noted, however, that it was only a temporary one set up for high-school games and was flimsier than the goalposts used for college football games.

Adam Sams of Fairfield said early Tuesday morning that he was one of a large group of people trying to get into Ohio Stadium when police set off the pepper spray.

"It kind of got in the air, and it hit everyone in the face," said Sams, his eyes still red and watering.

"I think it was just a really poor handling of the whole situation," he continued. "I know a bunch of people who were tear-gassed and pepper-sprayed -- they really weren't doing anything."

To the east, Columbus police used both pepper spray and tear gas to break up a raucous crowd of fans who spilled out onto North High Street. Among the afflicted was Northeast Ohio Media Group photographer John Kuntz, who described the "excruciating pain" he felt after an officer pepper-sprayed him in the face.

Five injuries were reported in Columbus between 11:55 p.m. Monday and 7:35 a.m. Tuesday, including three around Ohio State, according to Columbus Fire Department spokeswoman Lee Cole. However, Cole declined to give any details about the nature of the injuries and couldn't say how many of them were related to the post-game celebration.

The fire department responded to 89 trash fires in the campus area between 12:52 a.m. – about 40 minutes after the game ended – and 4:44 a.m., Cole said.

Columbus police made 6-7 arrests in the campus area following the game, mostly related to setting Dumpsters and couches on fire, according to a police news release.

Gunfire was also reported around the campus area after the game, the Columbus Dispatch reported, but there were no reports that it caused any injuries.

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