Police helicopter wreaked havoc on Penn State tailgates
Saturday night's game between Ohio State and Penn State brought 110,000-plus fans to Happy Valley, and as one might expect, the tailgating scene got rowdy at times.
Apparently it was so unruly that the Penn State police needed to use a helicopter.
Videos circulated from Saturday's tailgates showing a low-flying helicopter ruining tailgate setups, throwing debris and tents in every direction.
This was all by design, according to the University Police.
The department released a statement that claimed responding officers were unable to breakup an unruly tailgate on the ground, so they deployed a helicopter to disperse the crowd. The destroyed property of any well-behaved tailgaters was just collateral damage.
And in a separate statement to onwardstate.com:
The Pennsylvania State Police was called to assist in response to a large-scale party that was getting out of hand, creating a risk to persons and property. First, the tailgaters ignored commands to disperse from law enforcement on the ground.
Then PSP deployed personnel, including the Pennsylvania State Police Tactical Mounted Unit. The crowd began to turn unruly and two PSP horses were assaulted and a trooper was injured. Ground units pulled back in an effort to deescalate the situation.
Following this incident, the Pennsylvania State Police Aviation Unit was called to assist. A helicopter was utilized to issue commands to disperse via loudspeaker. When personnel on scene noticed the helicopter was low enough to disturb items on the ground, the helicopter pulled up to a higher altitude.
The PSP Tactical Mounted Unit and the Aviation Section routinely provide assistance at events like this when large crowds are expected.
Federal Aviation Administration is also investigating the incident.
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