Viral video shows motorist’s confrontation with students at KU fraternity house
Cellphone video showing an angry exchange between a Lawrence motorist and members of a University of Kansas fraternity at an outdoor gathering went viral over the weekend, with debate fueled by fears of coronavirus contagion as students return to campus.
The video shows the motorist, Jacob Schooler, exchange words with students and a woman outside a fraternity house after, Schooler says, he mistakenly pulled into their driveway and one of the group threw an alcoholic drink into his car
Schooler said the incident occurred just before 6 p.m. Saturday near 10th and High streets, where several members of the Kappa Sigma fraternity harassed him and tried to block his car. Schooler recorded the exchange on his cellphone and the video has been viewed thousands of times on his wife’s Facebook page.
“This behavior is unacceptable at any time during a pandemic, getting liquids from a cup that you have been drinking out of thrown into someone’s face, that is so incredibly scary,” Schooler told The Star on Sunday.
Members of the fraternity’s Gamma-Omicron chapter and the fraternity’s management group, located in Tucson, Arizona could not be reached for comment.
Discussion of the incident unfolded days after KU on Friday announced that 89 people, all but two of whom are students, tested positive for COVID-19 at its Lawrence and Edwards campuses. A large majority who tested positive came from the college’s fraternity and sorority community, according to university officials.
Also on Friday, Kansas health officials reported the state has confirmed at least 36,856 cases including 419 deaths. The overall positive test rate was 10.1%.
Schooler said he found himself at the frat house after taking a detour while driving home from a friend’s house Saturday afternoon. To avoid a main thoroughfare, Schooler said, he drove down another street that was lined with vehicles. Several people were hanging out in their cars, waving and sounding their horns, he said.
To avoid the commotion, Schooler said he took another detour but made a wrong turn and ended up in the parking lot of the Kappa Sigma fraternity house. Once there, Schooler said, he tried to leave but was immediately confronted by two fraternity members who blocked his car. He then tried to maneuver the car around them but a third fraternity member prevented him from moving.
“I was a little nervous about what was going on,” Schooler said. “I was upset and I wanted to make sure that I had this documented.”
One of the members leaned into the passenger’s side window and threw a drink inside the car, Schooler said. Some of the liquid splashed on his face and clothes.
“There were a lot of white guys really drunk. It wasn’t a general fear but it was like, this is a bad situation,” he said. “I need to get out of here as soon as possible.”
Afterwards, Schooler said, he drove home and took a shower.
Schooler said he hasn’t decided whether he was going to report the incident to authorities or school officials but was concerned about his health.
“I hope that the focus of this is towards growth rather than punishment,” he said. “There are going to be consequences to this but my ultimate desire is this gives the people who are part of this culture an opportunity to reflect on their behavior.”
This story was originally published August 23, 2020 at 3:22 PM.
