A Texas law firm Thomas J. Henry Law tweeted a story published in the Daily Mail about a lawsuit filed by it against rap artists Travis Scott and Drake following the Astroworld tragedy. The rappers have been sued for ‘inciting mayhem’ after a crowd surge during Scott’s concert in Houston, Texas led to eight deaths and several people being injured.
A crowd attendee, Kristian Paredes, who was “severely injured” at the concert on 5 November filed the complaint. Paredes is also suing the organisers Live Nation and the concert venue. Paredes said in the complaint that he “felt an immediate push” after Scott got on stage, Agence France-Presse reported.
The suit further stated, “The crowd became chaotic and a stampede began. Many begged security guards hired by Live Nation Entertainment for help, but were ignored." The suit also claimed that Scott “incited mayhem and chaos at prior events” and that the “defendants knew or should have known of (the rapper’s) prior conduct.”
The suit also stated that Drake “helped incite the crowd even though he knew of Travis Scott's prior conduct.”
The complainant is 23-year-old concertgoer Kristian Paredes, who was one of those "severely injured" at the concert on the night of November 5. Around 50,000 people were in the audience at Houston's NRG Park when the crowd started pushing toward the stage as Scott was performing, triggering chaotic scenes.
Advocate Ben Crump Files Lawsuit Against Scott & Drake
Advocate Ben Crump also announced that he has filed a suit against the rappers on behalf of Noah Gutierrez, another concertgoer who described the incident as a “scene of chaos and desperation.” Crump is a civil rights attorney who has handled cases like those of victims of police violence, namely George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.
Crump and his co-counsel Bob Hilliard said in a statement, “We are hearing horrific accounts of the terror and helplessness people experienced -- the horror of a crushing crowd and the awful trauma of watching people die while trying unsuccessfully to save them. We urge others who suffered physical or emotional injury or witnessed the events of that day to contact us,” according to Agence France-Presse.
During a press conference, Houston fire chief Samuel Peña said that the crowd surge started around 9 PM and Scott reportedly paused his performance several times to ask the officials to help fans.
Travis Scott Astroworld Statement
Travis Scott had issued a statement after the tragedy and said that he was ‘absolutely devastated’. “I’m absolutely devastated by what took place last night. My prayers go out to the families and all those impacted by what happened at Astroworld Festival,” Scott wrote.
Scott’s statement continued, “Houston PD has my total support as they continue to look into the tragic loss of life. I am committed to working together with the Houston community to heal and support the families in need. Thank you to Houston PD, Fire Department and NRG Park for their immediate response and support. Love You All.”
According to Houston Chronicle, almost 50,000 people attended the concert. Chief Peña added that 23 people were hospitalised by emergency responders and 11 suffered from cardiac arrests. Over 300 people were also treated at a field hospital.
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