Penn State Students Protest, Riot After JoePa Fired

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Thousands of Penn State students took to the streets last night after the football team's legendary head coach, Joe Paterno, was fired.

Slideshows: Rally At JoePa's Home | Coach Mobbed By Reporters | Suspects Surrender | Student Protest

Crowds toppled a Johnstown, Pa., television station's news van and at least one photographer was hit with a rock.

Police in riot gear used pepper spray to control the crowd.

Some students chanted "We want Joe! We want Joe!"

Others kicked in the windows of the toppled news van.

About 2,000 people gathered at Old Main and moved to an area called Beaver Canyon, which is in the center of town. That area was of particular concern to police. It is ringed by student apartments from which rioters in the past have pelted police.

Several arrests were made. Some street signs and trash cans were knocked down, and one street light was torn down.

All in all, not too bad compared to what may have been expected after last night's announcement. The crowds then moved back to Old Main.

State police then marched in the streets but the crowds just moved away from the police.

FOX 29's Bruce Gordon, who was there for the protests that turned violent, described what it was like on "Good Day" Thursday morning. He called it a "small-scale" riot and a tense, scary situation.

State police have been deployed in recent years after riots where large student crowds overwhelmed and injured local police on the scene.

In 1998, 34 police officers were hurt when a large crowd at Penn State’s summer arts and crafts festival rioted. Alumni reportedly joined with students in confronting police, in a two and ½ hour brawl that featured 1,500 people and 150 police officers.

In 2000, police and students squared off again, at the summer Arts Festival, with a bigger crowd confronting police for 90 minutes.

In 2001, a destructive riot broke out after Penn State lost a playoff basketball game to Temple in March. A crowd of 50 people crew to 4,000 quickly in town and 60 police officers were on hand. About 20 arrests were made as police used pepper spray on the crowd that was apparently drunk.

On Wednesday night, the Penn State Board of Trustees relieved football coach Paterno of his duties at a late-night press conference.

President Graham Spanier is also out and Rodney Erickson will be interim president.

Tom Bradley takes over as coach.

Riot police were also deployed in State College at Paterno's house, where the coach urged students to stay calm, go home and study but thanks them for their support.

Paterno issued a brief statement at his house, saying, "I'm not the football coach and I'll have to get used to it."

Paterno, 84, had announced earlier on Wednesday that he would retire at the end of the current football season. He had been the head coach at Penn State since 1966.