ISLA VISTA, Calif. — About 100 people were arrested and at least 44 people were hospitalized after a weekend college party that devolved into a rock- and bottle-throwing melee, authorities said.
The violence broke out in the densely populated beachside community of Isla Vista about 9:30 p.m. Saturday during the annual spring break party known as Deltopia. Santa Barbara sheriff’s spokeswoman Kelly Hoover said things escalated after a University of California, Santa Barbara police officer was hit in the face with a backpack filled with bottles of alcohol.
Authorities said some members of the crowd of 15,000 then began throwing rocks, bricks and bottles at officers, lighting fires and damaging vehicles. Authorities reported using tear gas, pepper spray and foam projectiles to disperse the surging crowd.
