LEXINGTON, Ky. — Police used pepper balls to control some rowdy fans and several couch fires were lit in the streets after Kentucky fell to Connecticut in the NCAA basketball championship final.
Susan Straub, a spokeswoman for the city of Lexington, said 19 couch fires were lit overnight in the State Street area. There were 23 injuries, most of them minor and treated at the scene. She confirmed 31 arrests but had no further details in a statement released Tuesday.
She said in the statement that one of the injured was hit by a train in the State Street area and taken to a hospital. She had no further word on that person’s condition or identity.
Shirtless youths streamed into the streets soon after Kentucky’s 60-54 loss to Connecticut on Monday night. Some were crying and others hugging after the defeat. The crowd continued to grow after the game despite a chilly, rain-soaked night in the Lexington area.
Some fights broke out, but police used pepper balls to control the most unruly fans before the crowd dispersed overnight.
