Travis Scott and Drake have been sued over a fatal festival crush in the United States. #astroworldfestival
After a crush at his Texas festival Astroworld, at least eight people were murdered and hundreds were injured, US rapper Travis Scott is facing legal action.
Warning disturbing footage.
One concertgoer claims Scott and surprise act Drake incited the mob and is suing for $1 million (£741,000) in damages.
Neither party has responded to the complaint. Scott stated in a statement released after the disaster that he was trying to assist the victims’ families, the youngest of whom was only 14.
Brianna Rodriguez’s family released a statement saying, “Dancing was her passion, and now she is dancing her way to heaven’s golden gates.”
The panic started at 21:15 local time on Friday (02:15 GMT Saturday), when the audience rushed to the front of the stage during Scott’s main performance.
Travis Scott and Drake
Lucas Naccarati told BBC Radio 5 Live that he “was quite confident people [were] going to die” within three minutes of the rapper taking the stage.
“You couldn’t move, you couldn’t scratch your own face because it was that tight,” he explained.
According to the New York Times, Houston police chief Troy Finner personally visited Mr Scott’s trailer before of the performance to raise “concerns about the crowd’s intensity.”
According to the New York Times, the city’s fire chief, Samuel Pea, could have interfered if Mr Scott and the event’s organizers had done so.
“When anything goes wrong, the performer is the only person who can actually call for and receive a tactical stop,” Mr Pea added. “They wield the bully pulpit and bear accountability.”
The Texas city’s police department has initiated an inquiry following multiple complaints that someone in the audience was injecting individuals with narcotics.
Several concertgoers, including a security guard who authorities claimed looked to have an injection mark in his neck, had to be revived with anti-drug overdose treatment.
Local police declined to confirm or deny the Times report or offer details on the drug investigation to the BBC.
In one lawsuit, Kristian Paredes, a 23-year-old attendee, says Scott and Drake incited “a riot and mayhem,” and that the venue and entertainment firm Live Nation failed to provide proper security and medical assistance.
Mr Paredes “felt an instant push” at the front of the general admission area, according to the lawsuit, before “the throng became chaotic and a stampede ensued.”
“Many pleaded with security officers employed by Live Nation Entertainment for assistance, but they were ignored,” the report continues.
Mr. Paredes was said to have sustained “serious physical damage.”
Another lawsuit seeks $1 million in damages for Manuel Souza, naming Scott, Live Nation, and event promoter Scoremore. Mr. Souza is said to have sustained “severe physical injuries when the concert’s unruly throng pushed him to the ground and trampled him.”
Live Nation has not yet responded to the cases, but it has stated that it is “trying to offer as much information and support to the local authorities as possible while they investigate.”
High-profile On Sunday, US lawyer Ben Crump declared that he will be defending concertgoers in legal action as a result of the congestion.
He filed a complaint on behalf of Noah Gutierrez, 21, and said he planned to file more in the following days for other alleged victims. Mr Crump stated, “We will pursue justice for all of our clients who were victimized in this awful and preventable occurrence.”
Scott isn’t the first musician to face legal action as a result of a concert.
After being accused of urging fans to rush the stage during a performance in the US state of Arkansas, he pled guilty to a public disturbance charge in 2018. He also paid over $7,000 (£5,186) to two persons who claimed they were harmed at the event, according to a local newspaper.
Scott said he was “dedicated to working together with the Houston community to heal and help the families in need” in his first statement after the disaster on Friday.
Later, he uploaded a video on Instagram urging anybody with knowledge about the event to call authorities.
sense of belonging turned deadly
A improvised monument has been erected along the fencing near the festival grounds’ entrance.
Ruby Ayala, 19, came with her family to pay her respects. This was Ayala’s first time attending a music event. She went with her sister and a few pals, and they met some new people in the crowd.
Franco Patino, who had traveled to Texas from another state, was one of them. He has now been identified as one of the eight people that died.
“He claimed he’d protect us because he’d gone to performances like these before,” Ayala recounted, her eyes welling up with tears. “I figured, ‘I’ll simply stick with him,'” I said.
They initially mistook the disturbance for a mosh pit, a famous dance at music festivals in which people push against each other. However, everyone around them began to have difficulty breathing, making it difficult to escape.
Patino was quickly lost in the throng. “That might have been me if I had only shifted over a little bit.”
