INDIANA, Pa. -- Four students and a former student have been charged with rioting and other crimes, and two fraternities have been suspended after an off-campus brawl near Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
IUP spokeswoman Michelle Fryling said the Alpha Chi Rho and Phi Kappa Psi fraternities are suspended until campus officials complete an internal investigation.
Indiana borough police say at least 20 people were involved in the fight on Locust Street about 2:15 a.m. April 17.
Channel 4 Action News reported the fight was apparently between two rival IUP fraternities, and some of the people involved allegedly used shovels, cinder blocks, baseball bats and a machete during the fray, police said.
Several people were treated for minor injuries at Indiana Regional Medical Center.
Police said the fight broke up before they arrived. Police went to the Alpha Chi Rho house and were told by residents that members of the other fraternity had come by and broken windows because of an earlier altercation at a party.
The university could also take disciplinary action against its students.
"Students can face anything from educational program sanctions to probation, and the worst being expulsion," said IUP spokeswoman Michelle Fryling.
If the fraternities are found to be at fault, they could lose their university recognition.
