Poll Included: 50 Arrests, 1 Injury During VEISHEA Weekend

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By Aaron Hepker

Story Created: Apr 19, 2009 at 12:41 PM CST

Story Updated: Apr 19, 2009 at 8:08 PM CST

AMES (AP) - Iowa State's annual VEISHEA festivities were marred by fights and arrests Saturday night and Sunday morning just four years after organizers canceled the event because of similar problems.

Police say they arrested 50 people during the weekend, and had to deploy tear gas to control the crowds.

Ames Police Cmdr. Mike Brennan says a series of fights broke out at about 1:30 a.m., forcing police to close a downtown business district and a street that hosts many student bars.

Brennan says the fights drew more people and contributed to the near-chaos downtown. But Brennan says this weekend went "relatively well," and says there were no problems until the violence early Sunday.

Ames police also report a 19-year old fell from a fourth-floor balcony.

According to a news release, Lukas Ashbrook was found on the ground outside the Legacy Towers Apartments, 119 Stanton Ave., at about 6:10 p.m. on Saturday.

According to witnesses, Ashbrook climbed over the balcony guardrail and jumped from the balcony of apartment 412.

VEISHA has been held since 1922, but was cancelled in 2005 after fights the previous year. The week-long celebration was created to showcase the university and raise money for charities. Its name is an acronym for the colleges of Veterinary Medicine, Engineering, Industrial Science, Home Economics and Agriculture.

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