Around midnight on Saturday, Sept. 25, several Amherst Police officers responded to a disturbance call on Hobart Lane. According to police, officers arrived on scene to find approximately 750 individuals gathered in the street. After determining that the multitude of individuals needed to be broken up, police began attempting to disperse the crowd. At this point, a number of individuals in the crowd allegedly began pelting the officers with rocks, beer bottles and cans. One officer at the scene was struck by a rock.

After pursuing the perpetrator who threw the rock, officers arrested University of Massachusetts student Jack Eckart, of 27 Gay Avenue, Walpole, Mass. Eckart was charged with Assault & Battery with a Dangerous Weapon, Assault & Battery on a Police Officer and Failure to Disperse and was scheduled for arraignment yesterday in Eastern Hampshire District Court.

The officer who was struck with the rock was treated for a contusion to his leg, but the injury did not require hospitalization.

This past weekend proved to be a busy period for the Amherst Police Department, with officers responding to a total of 204 calls, including 36 disturbance or fight calls. Police ultimately charged 33 people, via arrest or summons, with various crimes ranging from assault, alcohol violations and disorderly conduct.