A night meant to celebrate school spirit turned into chaos and flashing lights at the McDonald’s after the homecoming football game. Madison and Marshall students got into an intense fight at the McDonald’s on Maple Avenue after the game, leading to the Vienna Police Department being called. Officers arrived and started dispersing the crowd, but a couple of individuals shot fireworks at the officers. According to the media release from the Vienna Police Department, two officers were mildly injured during this attack. Due to the escalation of the situation by the fireworks, both county and state police were called in. They eventually dispersed the crowd by using a pepperball system, which releases a chemical irritant into the air.

While the investigation has been closed, the police haven’t released many details about the case since one of the suspects is a minor. However, many people were shocked to hear about this attack. While the rivalry between Madison and Marshall occasionally gets heated, it doesn’t usually result in physical fights. Additionally, the use of fireworks against the police officers horrified many in the Vienna community. Many students and parents started to feel concerned about their safety.

The school also responded to this event in an email to the parents. This email included the police press release and how the school planned to respond to make students and parents feel safer. They established protocol for the homecoming dance, restating that any student who couldn’t show a valid form of ID or have an approved guest pass would not be allowed into the building. They also mentioned that they were working with police to set up more security at community businesses after highly attended school events.

Despite the tensions of that night, school and community leaders hope the extra precautions will prevent future incidents and help students feel safer.