CHARLOTTE - A large fight disrupts a weekend of celebration at Livingstone College in Salisbury.
It was the school's homecoming Saturday evening when, according to Salisbury Police, a fight broke out on campus.
Monday, students told TWC News that the fight began during a “gym jam” – an event held on campus in the school’s gymnasium for students to socialize.
Kristine Royster, a freshman at Livingstone, said the fight started when someone got "jumped”.
The personal confrontation quickly grew into a crowd made up of hundreds of what the Salisbury Police called 'unruly students and visitors' – many of whom were in town and on campus for Livingstone’s homecoming activities.
Royster said she saw people running in all directions and many were fighting one another.
“Everywhere you looked it was just...somebody was about to get into some altercation,” she said.
Police said in a statement that students were disorderly and becoming violent. Many ignored commands to leave the area and return to their respective dorms.
Salisbury Police were called to campus 3 times Saturday night into Sunday morning. It was during that third visit that the situation escalated, police say, and tear gas was then used on the crowd.
"They were warned, and they did not disperse,” said Salisbury Police Captain, Shelia Lingle.”And then when we did that [tear gas] they started dispersing, and everything went OK.”
"I feel like they did too much because it didnt have to go that far," said Royster, who admitted Monday that seeing such disruption on campus during her first year as a student was unsettling.
Livingstone College Police put the campus on lockdown for the remainder of the night following the large fight. No one was allowed on or off campus and students were instructed to stay indoors until the lockdown was lifted Sunday morning.
One person, Khalil McCormick, 20, was arrested during the incident and was charged with failure to disperse.
The college has not responded to requests for comment.