Gas giveaway leads to crashes, arrests

? An insurance company held a gasoline giveaway Wednesday to reward the city for its safe-driving record.

So what happened? Two crashes occurred, fights broke out and arrests were made for disorderly conduct.

Allstate Insurance gave away a tanker truck load of gasoline, enough for about 700 motorists, said company official Bill Mellander.

Some drivers started lining up before midnight and the line stretched far from the station and into a residential area – blocking some residents in their driveways, said police spokeswoman Anne E. Schwartz.

The situation led to fights and arrests for disorderly conduct. The two crashes apparently occurred when drivers who were in line tried to let friends cut in, Schwartz said.