State College man allegedly caused $7,346 in damages during riot

A Penn State student reportedly caught on film during a December riot is facing multiple felony charges.

According to the criminal complaint filed by State College police, at about 12:45 a.m. Dec. 4, an officer observed Eli Wood, 19, of State College running south on Garner Street after allegedly knocking over and damaging a street light. The officer stopped Wood, who reportedly said he “didn’t know why he did it and he should have known better.”

Wood was described by the officer as wearing a white Penn State football jersey with the number 16, police said. Reviewing footage of the riot reportedly revealed Wood smashing the top of a light pole that had been carried down Beaver Avenue then posing for pictures.

Wood met with officers later that day, police said, saying he wanted to cooperate with police. Wood allegedly denied taking down the pole, but did smash the light and pose for pictures.

The damage totaled $7,346, police said.

Wood was charged with a felony count of rioting and two felony criminal mischief counts, according to court documents, as well as misdemeanor counts of failure to disperse and disorderly conduct. Unsecured bail was set at $10,000.

A preliminary hearing is slated for Feb. 1.

This story was originally published January 18, 2017 at 11:04 AM with the headline "State College man allegedly caused $7,346 in damages during riot."