City police arrested about a dozen people in what they called a fairly tame night following a devastating Final Four loss Saturday.
Last weekend’s events led Madison Police Department to increase its forces in preparation for the outcome of the game against University of Kentucky, Joel DeSpain, MPD spokesperson, said. However, the magnitude was not comparable to last weekend, he said.
DeSpain said about a dozen people were arrested Saturday for various reasons, including for starting small fires and fights.
A suspect who attempted to set what appeared to be a Kentucky jersey on fire was arrested at the scene, and several other cases of fires were reported around campus although DeSpain said he was unsure of the specific locations at the time.
University of Wisconsin Police Department made no arrests directly related to the incidents following the game, UWPD spokesperson Marc Lovicott said.
“There were a few incidents, but overall we were really happy with how fans reacted,” Lovicott said.
Lovicott said at least two suspects were arrested by MPD, cited and released on the State Street area for fight-related incidents.
Lovicott said few injuries were reported.
After a few patrons began throwing cans in the crowd in front of State Street Brats, a person was struck in the head with a beer can, DeSpain said. He said another person cut their hand on broken glass, but those were the only two patients cared for by Madison Fire Department. Both were taken away by ambulance, he said.
For the first time this year, MPD engaged their mounted unit on horses, which was helpful in clearing the street, DeSpain said.
“So by and all, it was a fairly successful night,” DeSpain said. “If you take a look at the thousands of people in the area who didn’t cause any trouble, we were very pleased by the way things went when you look at the big picture.”
State Street returned to normal crowd levels for a Saturday night by 12:30 a.m, DeSpain said.