In the aftermath of the Red Sox World Series-clinching celebration Sunday night and the early hours yesterday morning, 26 fans were arrested outside Fenway Park, including many college students.
Though the Boston Police Department could not comment on how many of those arrested were college students, records indicate students from Boston University, Emmanuel College and the Wentworth Institute of Technology were among the fans charged with disorderly conduct during the celebrations that poured onto the streets after the Red Sox victory that launched the team into the World Series for the first time since 2004.
“It’s tough to get arrested . . . on a night like last night,” said BPD spokesman James Kenneally. “You have to do something not too bright.”
Police officers — many on horseback and bicycles — drove fans away from the Kenmore Square area, looking to cut down on the number of people near the stadium. Though witnesses said officers used tear gas to drive fans from the Fenway Park and Kenmore Square areas, Kenneally said he could not confirm those accounts.
“There’s a chance someone may have used Mace,” he said. “Any time a large crowd gathers there’s always a chance that Mace could be used.”
College of Engineering junior Victor Mikheev, arrested for disorderly conduct Sunday night, said police forces were excessive and overly aggressive. He said he did nothing to provoke officers and was not given a reason for his arrest but believes he was targeted because he waited around for too long after police demanded fans retreat past Landmark Center on Brookline Avenue.
“When the crowd started to retreat I stayed for maybe 30 seconds longer,” Mikheev said. “[Police] singled me out when I stayed. . . . I turned around and started walking away and I got grabbed . . . thrown on the ground and put into a [police vehicle].”
Mikheev, who is due for arraignment today, said although he was completely sober, he does not think it is worthwhile to appeal his arrest.
“There’s no way to prove this,” he said. “I’m going to plead guilty, pay the fine and think less of the Boston Police Department than I ever have.”
BPD media representatives were unavailable to comment on Mikheev’s arrest when The Daily Free Press contacted them last night.
Kenneally said the BPD boosted police presence in the area to ensure celebratory riots were not as destructive as the ones following the Red Sox’ victory in the 2004 American League Championship Series, when a police officer accidentally shot and killed an Emerson College student with a riot-control projectile.
“We were happy with the way things went, particularly the response by the department,” Kenneally said. “2004 was an ugly scene, and everything was done to avoid that.
“It’s OK to party,” he continued. “It’s OK to have fun. . . . We tried to make sure when people came out to party it was done in a safe way.”
Restaurant owners and bar managers said the increased police presence was necessary to ensure crowd safety.
“I understand their increase in manpower, and they were really very polite and warned us way ahead of time that by the seventh inning, people wouldn’t be waiting on the street to get in,” said Boston Beer Works general manager Bill Lyons. “[Police] were not a problem at all. They really diffused what could have been a volatile situation.”
“There was not one problem compared to 2004,” said Fenway Thornton Grille owner Marty Thornton. “I think the troublemakers got the word to not come out.”