ATLANTA — Georgia State students were forced out of a residential building and into the early-morning cold on Friday after a fight led to a water line rupturing.
The incident happened roughly around 4:20 a.m., police said, at a building near the intersection of John Wesley Dobbs Ave. and Piedmont Ave in downtown Atlanta.
Police said the one-and-a-half-inch pipe broke during an altercation between three females on the ninth floor, causing water to flow to the floors below.
Two students were arrested and "charged accordingly," police said. They said onsite security attempted to stop the fight and 19-year-old Tamia Robinson "became combative."
"A main water valve was ruptured during the struggle with security, causing a temporary evacuation from the building until Atlanta Fire deemed it safe for reentry," a police statement said. "While detained in the lobby, the arrestee was confronted by another student and a second fight ensued."
Students could be seen streaming out of the building in the early morning in heavy jackets and wrapped in blankets as they faced temperatures in the mid-30s.
The temperature at 5 a.m. was about 35 degrees on Friday.
Atlanta Police said they were unsure how many students exactly were affected. They had gathered in the lobby waiting things out.
According to police, power and water were turned off in the building, which will force it to go under a fire watch.
"It's an inconvenience, but students are safe and we've done our job here," Atlanta Police officer Anrae Holmes said.
MORE HEADLINES