One of thousands of rowdy rioters raises his arms as a car explodes in front of the Hut on North Fourth Avenue in Tucson after the UA Wildcats lost to Duke in the final game of the NCAA championship April 2, 2001.
On April 2, 2001, The University of Arizona basketball team again played in the NCAA championship game.
They lost to Duke. Fans showed their dismay by rioting on Fourth Avenue.
From The Arizona Daily Star, April 3, 2001:
4th Ave. rioters set vehicles afire; police nab 6 in post-game melee
Enric Volante
The Arizona Daily Star
Rioters torched three vehicles outside a North Fourth Avenue tavern in post-game disturbances that sent two people to the hospital and at least six people to jail.
Tucson police dispatched nearly 500 officers to the scene, many of whom marched down Fourth Avenue hitting their riot shields to clear the street of crowds.
Rioters burned two cars and a motor home, and the fires spread to The Hut, 305 N. Herbert Ave. Windows were broken in the structure, but the extent of damage was not immediately known.
Assistant Police Chief Roberto Villaseñor said the order to disperse the crowd was issued at about 10 p.m., just as the crowd turned over a vehicle and set it on fire at Fourth Avenue and Eighth Street.
A couple and three of their children were inside the recreational vehicle when a crowd began to gather outside, said Michael Pogue, an acquaintance of the couple.
They got out before the fire was set.
Pogue, 26, of Tucson, said the couple use the RV to sell Zeppelin hot dogs, familiar to people who frequent Fourth Avenue weekend nights.
He identified the owner as Joe Martinez of Vail.
"This is devastation," Pogue said. "I'm absolutely in awe of the whole situation."
Arlene Leaf, owner of Tucson Thrift, 319 N. Fourth Ave, said her shop suffered broken windows in the melee.
"It's just so very stupid, just sad and tragic," she said. "Right now I think of all the people in the world who have real problems and they're doing this over a game."
Police cleared the streets by 11:15 p.m. Earlier, the avenue was filled curb to curb from immediately after the game till about 10 p.m.
Officers fired tear gas and rubber and wooden bullets to break up the crowd. As officers moved along Fourth Avenue, rocks and bottles were thrown at them, Villaseñor said. No officers were injured.
He said at least six people had been arrested on charges related to the disturbance. The charges ranged from disorderly conduct, disturbing the peace and criminal damage to assault and resisting arrest.
Police said at least two people who were hospitalized with facial injuries. One of the victims was thrown through a window.
Jonathan Gettleman, 25, a UA law school student, said he was riding his bike when he was struck by two rubber bullets fired by police.
Shortly after 10 p.m. rows of helmeted police marched north on Fourth Avenue.
Officers cleared the crowd with dozens of stun grenades, pepper spray and physical force.
"I think it's disgusting. I'm ashamed to be in Tucson," said a young woman as she watched rioters setting fire to the vehicles.
She turned and ran to help a friend who was sprawled on the ground after police blasted him with pepper spray.
"Move back now," screamed an officer as he blasted a long stream into the face of a young man who was videotaping the fires from across the street.
Nearby, two other young men on the ground were crying and wiping spray from their faces with their shirts.
"This is like Bosnia. It's crazy out here," said UA student Jeff Sitkowski, a Chicago native.
Police made repeated sweeps up and down the avenue.
As soon as police cleared the street, firefighters arrived to put out the vehicle fires as well as the building fire.
The intersection of Fourth Avenue and Eighth Street was like a block party immediately after the game but the mood turned ugly about 9:30 p.m. as gangs of young men began tearing down stop signs and street light fixtures.
Fire and police officers responded to a series of fires set at Jefferson Commons apartments, 850 E. Wetmore Road. They were small and quickly put out, police said.
Other calls included an overturned car outside Famous Sam's Restaurant, 2480 W. Ruthrauff Road, and shots fired outside the Wildcat House, 1801 N. Stone Ave.
After the Wildcats won the national championship in 1997, jubilant fans overturned cars, shinnied up light poles and scrambled onto rooftops to proclaim their triumph over the University of Kentucky.
Police announced several measures to prevent a repeat of those problems
* Star reporters Thomas Stauffer and M. Scot Skinner contributed to this story.
