Several South Bend police units surrounded an area near the 800 block of Sorin Street in South Bend late Wednesday night after a driver blocked traffic by parking his car near a curb and then ran away from the vehicle, SBPD Public Information spokeswoman Teri Lanning said in an e-mail to The Observer Thursday.
Notre Dame senior Emily Kane was headed toward a friend's house on Corby Boulevard around 11 p.m. when she saw "three or four" police cars lining Notre Dame toward Route 23.
"The cop from the megaphone told us to go inside," Kane said. "He said they had K-9s looking for someone."
Senior Michael Rossmann, who lives on Corby Boulevard, said he also saw police cars stationed in the area. He said he first saw a police car from his window at about 10:40 p.m. When he went outside to walk to Club 23, located at 744 N. Notre Dame Ave., he said he saw several more squad cars.
"I then walked out of my house at 11 p.m. and tried to walk down Corby, but the nearest police officer told me to return to my home," Rossmann said. "A friend and I then walked to Club 23 a different way, but in our short trip there we saw at least 15 police cars in the neighborhood, stationed at every block."
Rossmann said cars were stationed on Corby on every block for at least four blocks, and on Route 23 he said he passed three or four more cars. He said he also saw police cars parked along Notre Dame Avenue.
Rossmann said he saw at least one K-9 unit.
An auto impound report filed the incident as a parking violation/traffic hazard, Lanning said. The report listed the owner of the vehicle as Gerald O'Brien of the 1300 block of North Johnson Street. The vehicle was impounded for blocking street traffic on the 800 block of Sorin Street.
Kane said the police cleared out about a half hour after she arrived on Corby Boulevard.
A bartender at Club 23 said the police did not enter the building.
Maddie Hanna contributed to this report.
