Police responded to violence and reported hearing gunshots early Saturday morning outside the Towers residential hall, 502 N. Frances St., near the intersection of Langdon and Frances streets, according to a Madison Police Department report.
Several Towers residents found people tampering with mopeds outside the building at about 2:30 a.m., where upon the residents confronted the vandals and chased them across the street to the Madison Inn, where two gunshots were fired, the report said. The suspects then fled in a car.
According to the information released by the police, no one was injured and no weapon was found, but officers found evidence suggesting gunshots were fired at the scene. Despite the report, some Towers residents said a young man broke his wrist during the event.
One UW-Madison sophomore who asked not to be identified by name, said she passed by the Towers on her way home Saturday and saw two large white males arguing and surrounded by onlookers.
\It looked like they were doing something with mopeds, but I couldn't tell,"" she said. ""There were a bunch of people around.""
According to the witness, she and her boyfriend then followed the crowd across State Street to the Madison Inn, 601 Langdon St., where they saw half of the crowd enter the parking garage under the Madison Inn.
""Some boys went in there and then someone came out in a white car and there were two shots fired,"" she said.
One Towers resident, who also asked not to be named, was in the lobby picking up a delivery pizza when several people came in saying they'd heard shots.
""A bunch of guys came running in [saying] 'Oh my god there were shots fired,'"" she said. ""Another kid ... took off running when the shots were fired and he broke his wrist.""
Jacob Austin, who worked the night shift at the Statesider Private Residence Hall, 505 N. Frances, front desk Friday night into Saturday morning, said he did not hear any shots, but saw a prolonged fight.
""Probably around quarter to three or three, there were maybe 25 people milling around outside of the Towers,"" he said.
The people ran back and forth up and down the street, moving in and out of his view, Austin said.
""I'd look out there and they'd be pushing somebody and sort of grabbing somebody and slugging them,"" he said, adding that he recognized two members of the crowd from a fight he witnessed while he worked the previous weekend.
As of press time the police had not yet released descriptions of the suspects or the vehicle in the case.
