SLIPPERY ROCK TWP — Slippery Rock University students’ revelry was cut short Saturday night when an off-campus pig roast turned raucous and rowdy, authorities said.

At least four people were hurt during the annual event at The Heights apartment complex on Route 173 in Slippery Rock Township.

Among the injured were two young women who were hit by an unoccupied runaway car, state police said. A man also landed in the hospital after he was clobbered on the head with a beer bottle.

Police made nearly a dozen arrests, mostly for drunken driving and public drunkenness, at the event dubbed “Pig Roast 2K15,” which drew an estimated crowd of up to 3,000.

An Erie man driving to the party was jailed after troopers found him with numerous baggies of suspected marijuana that he planned to sell, police said.

“It got out of control so we ended up shutting it down,” said Cpl. Timothy Morando, who was among 15 state police officers called to keep the peace and quell trouble.

The event, which is not affiliated with Slippery Rock University, has grown in popularity among SRU students and out-of-towners over the years. The gathering marks the pending end of the academic year.

“There have been problems in past years,” Morando said, “but (Saturday) was much worse. Residents, business owners and the community do not need this type of activity. It shouldn’t be tolerated.”

SRU spokesman Rita Abent said this morning that she was not immediately aware of any issues at the pig roast. She said the university was waiting to speak to state police before making any comment.

A message left at The Heights’ office was not returned.

Saturday’s gathering was well publicized on social media sites. Because of the event’s reputation and authorities’ concern for what might happen, police on designed party patrol made a showing early in the afternoon.

But as the crowd of revelers poured into The Heights, a three-story complex comprised primarily of townhouses used by students, disturbances began to break out.

“Chaotic” and “crazy” is how witnesses described the scene, largely on or around Route 173.

Police traced the onset of trouble to the arrival of the keg cart about 2 p.m.

“We were getting incidents throughout the day of people walking around drunk and kids walking in front of cars on Route 173, Morando said, “We also had a bunch of reports of fights, thefts, a burglary and assaults.”

He said the decision to shut down the event came after police met with the manager at The Heights and with representatives of the private security firm hired specially for the pig roast.

The decision was hastened by a series of incident shortly before 8 p.m.

About 7:45 p.m., an empty car parked on a hill outside the apartment complex apparently slipped out of gear and hit two women who happened to be walking by.

The women, believed to be in their late teens or early 20s, suffered unknown injuries. Slippery Rock Ambulance medical crews tended to both before they were taken to Grove City Medical Center.

One of the women was later flown by medical helicopter to a Pittsburgh hospital with injuries not considered life-threatening, said Chief Ken Taggart of the Slippery Rock Volunteer Fire Department.

Just minutes after that freak accident, two men attending the party got into an argument that turned violent at The Heights’ basketball court.

Police said Kyle A. Montgomery, 19, of New Castle hit the other man — 19-year-old Nicholas Dahlstrom of Seven Fields — on the head with a beer bottle.

Dahlstrom, who suffered a cut to the left side of his face, was treated at Grove City Medical Center and later released.

Police said Montgomery, who was intoxicated attends SRU; Dahlstrom does not.

District Judge Lewis Stoughton later arraigned Montgomery on a felony charge of aggravated assault, a misdemeanor charge of simple assault and summary charges of harassment, disorderly conduct, public drunkenness and underage drinking.

He was released on his own recognizance following arraignment.

Morando said that during the evening and night police arrested eight motorists, “coming and going” to the event, for drunken or drugged driving.

One suspect, Marquelle D. Parks, 19, of Erie, was stopped on Route 173 about a mile from The Heights.

“He said he was headed there to meet friends,” Morando said.

Police detected a “strong smell” of marijuana coming from Parks’ sport utility vehicle, court documents said. He was subsequently searched and found with 15 individually packaged bags containing a combined 28 grams of suspected marijuana.

Stoughton arraigned the defendant on a felony charge of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance. He also is charged with driving under the influence of a controlled, careless driving and improper use of high beams.

Parks was placed in the Butler County Prison on $30,000 bail following arraignment.

His passenger, 20-year-old Darion Qualls of Erie, was charged with misdemeanor drug possession after being caught with 3 grams of suspected marijuana, police said.

In addition to the DUIs, troopers issued several tickets each for public intoxication and underage drinking.

Another young man attending the pig roast, meanwhile, also landed in Grove City Medical Center after stepping on broken glass, Taggart said.

The man, whose name was not immediately available, suffered a bad cut on at least one of his feet.