Jan. 27, 2003, 7:12AM
Disappointment turns into vandalism in Oakland
Associated Press
OAKLAND, Calif. - Rowdy crowds took to the streets after the Oakland Raiders' Super Bowl defeat and left parts of the city
strewn with broken glass, charred hulks of burned cars and a fast-food restaurant with nearly every window broken.
Police responded to the trouble Sunday night with rubber bullets, tear gas and huge squads of officers that sought to disperse the
crowds. At least 25 people were arrested, mostly for public drunkenness, authorities said.
Hoping to avoid rioting, police had assigned hundreds of extra officers to work Sunday, but as crowds gathered after the Raiders'
48-21 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, trouble broke out.
About 10 vehicles were set on fire, and crowds broke the windows of at least one television news van, police and witnesses said. One
group of young men set debris on fire in the middle of a street and then posed for news photographers. Rioters broke nearly every
window at a McDonald's restaurant, which was also set on fire.
Tear gas wafted through the area, and some witnesses picked up rubber bullets fired by police. Three Oakland firefighters were
treated for minor injuries after fans threw bottles and rocks at them, Battalion Chief James Williams said. Some fire trucks and
other equipment also sustained damage, including cracked windshields and dents, Williams said.
Police closed off some streets as the trouble shifted through various areas of East Oakland. Eventually, things quieted down.
It was the second week in a row that violence happened after a Raiders game. The previous week, after the team advanced to the Super
Bowl, crowds set fires, broke windows and threw rocks and bottles along International Boulevard, the same area hit after the
championship game.
Some shop owners in the area closed at kickoff time in hopes of avoiding trouble.
At Q's Clothing, Nader Qutov, the owner's nephew, said he was closing early, although before the game he also hawked Raiders
T-shirts to eager fans.
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