As many as 30 people were involved in the fight. Chairs in the lobby area were thrown, and the glass in the building’s front door was smashed out. Some of the participants used tear gas, while others were seen using blunt objects. As police arrived, the crowds began to disperse.

Six people who were not students were found in a car and barred from returning to the campus. Two inside the car were flagged as active gang members. All were released from custody.

Police learned that a non-student who entered a residence hall was confronted by the students who were later cited. A fight broke out, and a student punched the non-student, knocking him to the floor. Other students began kicking and punching the man.

Investigators spoke to the cited students, who told police what had happened.

“The students turned what could have been a minor dispute into a small riot which led to furniture and trashcans being thrown around at people and a window getting broken out,” the report says.

Court records show that seven of eight men charged in the incident at the college have turned themselves in.

Don Kohler, Iowa Western vice president of marketing and public relations, said six of them are students and they have been disciplined.

Carmody said the fight at the dorm was not started by students but instigated by non-students who arrived at the college following the downtown incident.