Campus Alert Archive
WSU

A Campus Drinking Ban, a Keg Party, and a 5-Hour Riot on College Hill

WAcivil unrestemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

Early on Sunday, May 3, 1998, about 200 people, most of them Washington State University students, rioted for roughly five hours in the College Hill neighborhood just west of campus in Pullman. Officers responding to a car-pedestrian accident report around 12:30 a.m. were pelted with rocks and beer cans by partygoers, and police used tear gas, smoke, and water before dispersing the crowd at about 5:30 a.m. Twenty-three police officers and several others were injured; WSU later disciplined dozens of students, expelling three and suspending six.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
Washington State University
Public R1 · WA
Police loudspeaker and local media (pre-mass-notification era)
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTPA System
Approximate reconstruction164 chars
This is the police. This is an unlawful assembly. You must disperse immediately and leave the area. Anyone who remains is subject to arrest. Leave College Hill now.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed: in 1998 WSU had no mass-notification system, so warnings to the crowd came via police loudspeaker rather than text or email.
Accounts describe officers attempting to disperse the crowd with tear gas, smoke, and water after being pelted with rocks and beer cans.
UPDATEother
Approximate reconstruction251 chars
Order has been restored on College Hill following an early-morning disturbance. Twenty-three officers were injured and several partygoers were hurt. The area is being cleared. Residents are asked to stay away while police complete their investigation.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed: the figure of 23 injured officers is confirmed by contemporaneous Seattle Times reporting.
The riot was dispersed at about 5:30 a.m. PDT with property damage estimated at $15,000.
Context

Background

On Sunday, May 3, 1998, what began as a keg party on College Hill, the dense student neighborhood west of the Washington State University campus in Pullman, escalated into a five-hour riot allegedly provoked by a WSU ban on on-campus drinking. Two officers responding around 12:30 a.m. to a reported car-pedestrian accident at Colorado and A streets were pelted with rocks and beer cans, and the confrontation grew into a melee of roughly 200 people. Police deployed tear gas, smoke, and water, which initially diverted the crowd behind the officers' line, and the riot was not fully dispersed until about 5:30 a.m. Twenty-three police officers and between four and a dozen partygoers were injured, and property damage was estimated at $15,000. The Seattle Times reported that officials feared the riot was part of a national trend of campus disturbances. WSU investigated 51 students, held conduct hearings for 43, and ultimately expelled three and suspended six; numerous felony charges followed. The incident, which predates modern campus mass-notification, was managed entirely with police loudspeakers and chemical agents on the ground.
Analysis

Key Findings

A WSU ban on on-campus drinking was cited as a provocation for the College Hill riot
About 200 people rioted for roughly five hours, injuring 23 police officers and several partygoers
Police relied on loudspeaker dispersal orders, tear gas, smoke, and water because no mass-notification system existed in 1998
WSU expelled three students and suspended six after conduct hearings, and felony charges followed
Outcome
The riot injured 23 police officers and between four and a dozen partygoers, caused about $15,000 in property damage, and led to felony charges and university discipline. WSU expelled three students and suspended six after conduct hearings.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Source
    About 200 WSU students and others riot in Pullman on May 3, 1998 - HistoryLink.org
    historylink.org
  2. News
    Riot Gives WSU, Pullman A Black Eye, Officials Say - The Seattle Times
    archive.seattletimes.com
  3. News
    1998: WSU students fight for the right to party - Inlander
    inlander.com
Tags
civil-unrestriotwashingtonhistoricpre-modern-alertalcoholcollege-hill
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion