What caused an unruly crowd at Keeneland to throw things at Lexington police?

Police officers working at Keeneland Saturday afternoon called for backup after an unruly crowd began throwing things at them.

Lexington police Lt. Paul Boyles said that when an officer working in a tailgating area outside the track tried to arrest someone for underage drinking, "the crowds turned on him."

He said people were "throwing bottles and, I guess, a variety of other things."

In one radio dispatch at about 3:25 p.m., an officer at the scene said there was a "200-person disorder, throwing items at the police."

Boyles said that was an initial estimate of the crowd size, but he did not know how many people were actively engaged in the dispute.

No officers or Keeneland patrons were injured.

He said five people were arrested on charges including alcohol intoxication, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.

"Not a typical event for us out at Keeneland," Boyles said.

It was the last Saturday of the spring meet, and skies were sunny, bringing droves of people out. Keeneland had its fifth highest single day attendance, with 37,378 people, said track spokeswoman Amy Gregory.

This story was originally published April 21, 2018 at 6:37 PM with the headline "What caused an unruly crowd at Keeneland to throw things at Lexington police?."