3 DPS, 4 students injured in mob fight
Metropolitan Police Department officers were called in early Sunday morning to help quell a violent confrontation in front of the Reiss Science building. Three Department of Public Safety officers and four Georgetown students suffered injuries.
After the brawl Georgetown Emergency Response Medical Service paramedics wheeled at least one unconscious officer away while another was fit into a neck-brace at the scene.
According to Vice President of Public Safety and Security Dave Morrell, a DPS officer on routine patrol in front of Reiss encountered a large group leaving a party in Henle Village and called for backup.
When the other DPS officers arrived, a confrontation broke out within the crowd. When DPS officers attempted to intervene members of the group attacked them.
“The scene was extremely chaotic,” Director of DPS Darryl Harrison said.
Before DPS arrived, Keegan Johnson (COL ‘09) said he was attacked on the Reiss steps right after he left a party in Henle 1 where he thought a fight was about to break out. Johnson then headed past the Leavey center toward Red Square.
“When I got to the Reiss steps, someone tackled me,” he said.
After fighting back, he saw a group of six or eight males running towards him.
“They started punching and kicking and I tried to defend myself,” Johnson said.
He said that officers came to his aid, but his attackers then turned on the officers.
After the beating, Johnson said he was bleeding profusely from his right elbow, and suffered other cuts and bruises.
The injured officers were struck with a blunt object and punched, Harrison said. Officer Timothy Desmond suffered head lacerations and a concussion, Leroy Jackson has a possible spleen injury, and Ghedlom Kiros has bruised ribs and a shoulder injury, according to Harrison. All three were admitted to Georgetown University Hospital and released the next morning.
Despite their efforts, DPS was unable to stop the violence and was forced to call MPD for reinforcements.
“Just bringing it under control, we needed assistance from MPD,” Harrison said. “If Metro hadn’t come, the situation would have been much worse.”
Both experienced and new officers were injured, but all had been through DPS’s orientation, Harrison said.
MPD were not the only guests on campus Saturday. According to Christina Franoiscue (MSB ‘09), who witnessed the event, the mob also contained students from Howard University.
“For most of the night, they were yelling ‘H.U.!’,” she said.
Johnson said he thought his assaulters were from Howard University. He appeared certain that, at the very least, his first attacker was not a Georgetown student. Johnson, who was friends with the students hosting the party, said that he hospitably greeted the man as he entered the party.
“If you need anything, let me know,” Johnson told him.
“Everyone at the Henle 1 party knew each other. It is a fair assumption that they weren’t from here,” he said.
Morrell would only say that people from outside of the University may have been involved in the altercation.
Officer Kenneth Bryson, an MPD Media Liaison officer would not discuss the details of the case because “There are witnesses…it is our protocol to protect their occupations.”
As of Monday, Harrison did not have any suspects.
“We have very, very little information,” he said.
He asked members of the community to contact DPS if they have any information about the incident.
“Now, we would like to follow up…we need some help,” he added.
A DPS officer, who would only be interviewed on condition of anonymity, said that the incident had forced officers to work additional hours throughout the week.
Additional reporting by Michael J. Bruns and Noreen Malone
