A party at the Owl Club Saturday evening was shut down by state, Cambridge and Harvard police after a scuffle between an officer and a Harvard student resulted in both being maced.

Students and officers who were on the scene said three or four students were taken away by state police and charged with misdemeanors.

The trouble started, according to students and police, when an intoxicated student exiting the final club party refused a state trooper's request to leave his beer inside.

When the trooper, one of several providing security for the event, repeated his request, the student became verbally abusive toward the officer, police said.

The student and officer then exchanged words and, according to police reports, the student threw his beer at the trooper. The officer then struggled with the student and one of the student's friends.

In the struggle, both the student who allegedly threw the beer and the trooper were sprayed with the officer's mace, police and students said.

It was unclear whether the student or trooper reached for the mace or whether the canister discharged by accident.

After the officer was sprayed, he called in an "OT" or "officer in trouble" signal over his radio, resulting in and enormous police turnout that subsequently shut down the party.

Approximately 12 state, Cambridge and Harvard police cars swarmed onto the scene at around 9 p.m. The Cambridge police even brought in its K-9 unit.

"We have absolutely no comment," said a person answering the telephone at the Owl Club last night. The club's president did not return repeated calls yesterday.

The police yesterday refused to release the name of the students involved. State police spokespersons did not return repeated calls seeking information about the incident.

Reached at home last night, Cambridge police spokesperson Frank Pasquarello said he could not comment on the incident without reviewing records unavailable until today.

The party, a by-ticket-only luau, attracted more than 700 students to the club's 30 Holyoke Street address, according to student and police estimates. The state trooper was providing security because Cambridge police were unable to do so, officers said.

Police sources stressed last night that there was "a dangerous level of drinking," at the party. A students at the event estimated that there were about 60 kegs of beer.

A Harvard police official said the event was closed down because of heavy drinkingand because the party had spilled out onto thestreet.

One officer who was on the scene said the partywas not rowdy until the incident with the trooper.

"If anything, the kids ruined a great party,"the officer said. "But the party should have neverbeen allowed to get that big."

Students at the party, however, said that statetroopers were aggressive with the students andthat the officers may have antagonized them byrepeatedly walking through the party to checkstudent's color-coded wrist-band IDs.

Another student was charged with disorderlyconduct for verbally abusing a Cambridge policeofficer as the party was broken up, police said