By Jake Lyda
Back in 2021, a crowd at Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival in Texas turned deadly as multiple people were crushed. At the end of the panic, 10 people died, and thousands of people were injured. Now, a Texas grand jury is meeting today to determine if Scott is subject to criminal charges for the incident. The Houston native and his attorney, Kent Schaffer, are unsure if the jury will issue anything specifically today. The DA’s office in Harris County has yet to comment on the matter.
Schaffer is confident that Travis Scott is not liable for this unfortunate situation, saying, “Nothing Travis did or failed to do fits within the Texas criminal code.” Prosecutors, on the other hand, will present evidence today that’s in direct opposition to that statement. In 2021, Astroworld Houston saw an overcrowded group of Scott fans swell toward the stage when he came on. Because of this, ten people died due to compressive asphyxiation. Essentially, the crowd crushed certain people, and those people could not breathe, effectively killing them. Prosecutors claim Scott, festival organizers, and Live Nation (a Ticketmaster affiliate) allowed too many people to enter the venue. This was in disregard to the risks of overcrowding. Plaintiffs argue that Scott and the organizers wanted to give the appearance of a packed concert. Over 4900 fans faced injuries after the mass crushing. The Texas grand jury consolidated all of the lawsuits stemming from this tragic situation in a process called multidistrict litigation. That way, whatever the ruling is, that ruling will transfer to all other similar cases. The attorneys representing the bereaved families are looking for “criminal and civil accountability” so that Travis Scott and others in charge of the Astroworld Festival know and feel the permanent damage caused. In the meantime, Scott is working on his next album. He is about to drop UTOPIA on the world, taking out billboard ads and updating his website in time for the launch. Despite the unfortunate events of Astroworld 2021 in Houston, fans are still clamoring for new Travis Scott music.
PHOTO: BERTRAND RINDOFF PETROFF/GETTY
No comments