I don’t consider myself anything close to a sports fan, but even I understand that the Lord of the Flies-level chaos that transpired following Texas Tech’s victory over Michigan State on Saturday is remarkable if for no other reason than the bonfire of flaming Lime scooters.
Video shared to Facebook and Twitter following Saturday’s NCAA game captured crowds in Lubbock, where Texas Tech is based, setting fire to Lime scooters and destroying other private and public property.
The destruction was such that ahead of Monday’s Red Raiders Men’s National Championship basketball game against the University of Virginia, Lime told TechCrunch that it yanked its entire fleet of e-scooters from Lubbock’s streets.
This seems like a perfectly reasonable response given video from the hell scene on Saturday:
Some dude is riding down Broadway on a Lime Scooter that’s STILL ON FIRE pic.twitter.com/p4URKn0TlD
— Eric Kelly (@EricKellyTV) April 7, 2019
Texas Tech fans are going CRAZY after earning a spot in the men’s national championship basketball game. pic.twitter.com/VckBrkA6sI
— Max Hengst (@MaxHengstDT) April 7, 2019
Scooters on fire . MADHOUSE pic.twitter.com/45oLsT0H91
— Savage Shawn (@shawnthomas24) April 7, 2019
Lime told TechCrunch that it planned to “re-deploy scooters after activities subside early Tuesday morning.” TechCrunch said it wasn’t clear how many scooters were pulled from the area. Lime, which launched its e-scooter program in Lubbock last year, did not immediately return Gizmodo’s request for comment about the incident.
The destruction by riotous college students over the weekend was not limited to blazing e-scooters. Our sister site Deadspin reported Sunday that the chaos also included flipping a car and destroying what appears to be a street light.
Record breaking 4 cars flipped tonight in Lubbock texas pic.twitter.com/NKKUw4O3lN
— Texas Tech Probs (@TexasTechProb) April 7, 2019
Things have gotten crazy on Broadway as students celebrate the @TexasTechMBB win pic.twitter.com/GryQs64F7k
— Mallory Rosetta (@MRosettaDT) April 7, 2019
The crowds reportedly did damage totaling thousands of dollars on Saturday.
The Lubbock Police Department said Sunday that criminal investigations were underway and that those who “engaged in violent behaviour or destruction of property will face criminal charges to include criminal mischief, arson and riot.”
The scene was decidedly less wild on Monday following Texas Tech’s loss to UVA’s Cavaliers, which from what I understand is currently being blamed on a Ted Cruz curse. And honestly, even as a non-sports fan, that scans.