Among the controversial aspects of the Grand Theft Auto series of video games are challenges where the main character is charged with starting gang wars between various ethnic gangs in the city. Looks like certain students at Atlantic Union College have recently decided to take it on themselves to act out the game in real life:Atlantic Union College took on the look of a crime scene Oct. 16, when police from Lancaster, Clinton, Bolton and Sterling responded to a brawl that court documents describe as "out of control."I'm saddened that this sort of thing is happening at my alma mater. Although, to be honest, the vision of students chasing each other around the campus mall with a "Keep off the Grass" sign is kind of funny.
"Students were throwing anything they could get their hands on and people were getting hurt by flying projectiles," the report, filed by officer Everett Moody of the Lancaster Police Department, read.
According to police, the altercation began in the college's gymnasium in what some say was an ongoing dispute between a group of Bermudian and Haitian students.
Those tensions came to a head during the game, Moody's report stated.
Fleurette Montes, a sophomore at the college was in the gym when the verbal argument started.
"I was in the stands at the gym and this Bermudian boy came and threatened me that 'if I mess with the Bermudians I will get hurt,'" Montes said. "Then chaos happened."
According to police, the verbal altercation moved outside and at some point resulted in Reid stabbing fellow student Reggie Lowe in the leg. Lowe was transported to the hospital, received six stitches and was released. Student Clay Smith was also treated for minor injuries.
But according to Gibson Bartelus, a junior and a resident assistant in the men's dormitory, he was escorting Reid back to Student Services following the argument in the gym when he said he noticed three other students pursuing them. Bartelus said one of the students picked up and was wielding a "keep off the grass" sign and that Reid was defending himself when the stabbing occurred.
Thankfully, the administration is focused on what's really important here:
"We did a shakedown of the men's residence hall and we did find a couple of knives but we found no guns and such," [Vice President of Student Services Dean] Mentges said. "And we didn't find any alcohol. There were officers there watching and we went through quite succinctly. It took a couple of hours."I'm not sure having the officers go through "succintly" would be qualified as a "shakedown," but whatever works. And I can't tell you how relieved I am to hear that they didn't find any alcohol. Sure, we found a few weapons here and there, but thank God we didn't find any booze. Now that would really be a problem.
Tags: Massachusetts South Lancaster Atlantic Union College AUC crime
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