RAPPER TRAVIS SCOTT AND OTHER
ORGANIZERS OF THE FESTIVAL
CALLED ASTRO WORLD ARE FACING
SEVERAL LAWSUITS AFTER FRIDAY'S
DEAD LIE CONCERT.
EIGHT PEOPLE WERE KILLED AND
DOZENS INJURED AFTER A CROWD
SURGE AT THE HOUSTON FESTIVAL
TWO NAPERVILLE NATIVES WERE
AMONG THOSE KILLED.
SCOTT SAYS HE IS QUOTE
ABSOLUTELY DEVASTATED.
HE HAS VOWED TO PAY FOR THE
FUNERAL EXPENSES OF THOSE
KILLED.
HE WAS ARRESTED IN CHICAGO FOR
LOLLAPALOOZA FOR ENCOURAGING
FANS TO JUMP THE BARRICADES.
AND JOINING US IS LUIS ARROYO, A
DIGITAL REPORTER.
>> EIGHT PEOPLE DEAD AND DOZENS
TREATED FOR INJURIES DO WE KNOW
WHAT THE EIGHT OFFICIALLY DIED
OF?
>> THE OFFICIAL DEATHS HAVE NOT
BEEN RELEASED.
WE KNOW THE AUTOPSIES WERE
CONDUCTED TODAY BUT AGAIN WE
DON'T HAVE THE FINDINGS.
WHAT WE DO KNOW PRELIMINARY
INFORMATION THAT WE DO KNOW THAT
AROUND 9:00 P.M. THE SURGE
STARTED AS TRAVIS SCOTT BEGAN TO
PERFORM AND THAT PEOPLE WERE
COMPRESSED AMONG THOUSANDS AND
THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE AND IT WOULD
BE HARD FOR BREATHE TO BREATHE
AND RESULTED IN THEM PASSING
OUT.
>> AND FROM THOSE YOU TALKED TO
WHAT WERE THEIR RECOLLECTIONS OF
THAT ENTIRE EXPERIENCE INCLUDING
WHAT THE RAPPER TRAVIS SCOTT
SAID ON STAGE?
>> YEAH, I SPOKE TO A LOT OF
THEM EARLIER TODAY NEAR THE
STADIUM WHERE THE EVENT TOOK
PLACE.
AND THEY WERE GOING BACK TO
REMEMBER AND REMEMBER THE PEOPLE
WHO PASSED AWAY AND THEY WERE
SHAKEN BY SUCH A TRAGIC EVENT.
A 36-YEAR-OLD WOMAN SHE ATTENDED
A CONCERT WITH HER 16-YEAR-OLD
NIECE AND TOLD ME THEY GOT
SEPARATED AS THE CROWD STARTED
TO SURGE.
AND ALL SHE COULD REMEMBER IS
NOT BEING ABLE TO BREATHE AND
HEARING THE SCREAMS OF HER NIECE
CALLING OUT FOR HER.
AGAIN, A LOT OF THESE PEOPLE ARE
VISIBLY SHAKEN AND SHOULD HAVE
BEEN A FUN EVENT AND IT TURNED
INTO SOMETHING NOT FUN.
>> AND WE MENTIONED THAT SCOTT
WAS --
THERE WAS AT LOLLAPALOOZA, THERE
WERE PROBLEMS OF HIM ENCOURAGING
MOSHING AND PEOPLE ACTING ROWDY
HE HAS A HISTORY OF THIS AND WAS
ARRESTED IN ARKANSAS.
CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT
MORE WHO TRAVIS SCOTT IS AND THE
CONTROVERSY THAT FOLLOWS HIM?
>> SO HE IS A HOUSTON RAPPER.
TRAVIS SCOTT, HE HAS MADE SONGS
WITH DRAKE AND WHATNOT OVER THE
PAST FEW YEARS HE HAS HAD ASTRO
WORLD A FESTIVAL THAT HAS DRAWN
A LOT OF PEOPLE TO THE CITY AND
IT'S BEEN A POINT OF CELEBRATION
AND CONTROVERSY.
I BELIEVE IN 2019 WE HAD GATES
BEING BROKEN AS PEOPLE BASICALLY
STORMED THE GATES AS IF IT WAS A
CASTLE.
AND THIS YEAR WAS MUCH, MUCH
WORSE.
>> THE HOUSTON PD OPENED A
CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION.
WHAT MIGHT THAT INVESTIGATION
ENTAIL?
>> WELL, HOPEFULLY IT WILL
ENTAIL A LOT BECAUSE AT THIS
POINT WE DON'T KNOW WHAT
HAPPENED DURING THOSE 40 MINUTES
WHICH TRAVIS SCOTT CONTINUED TO
PLAY AFTER A MASS CASUALTY EVENT
WAS DECLARED.
WE DON'T EXACTLY KNOW WHAT
HAPPENED TO START THE EVENT OR
IF THERE WAS A CONCRETE MOTIVE.
AND WE ALSO HAVE A REPORT OF
SECURITY WORKER WHO WAS
ALLEGEDLY NICKED IN THE NECK
WITH A NEEDLE NOT SURE WHAT THAT
NEEDLE CONTAINED BUT THAT WORKER
WAS REVIVED USING NARCAN A DRUG
USED TO TREAT OVERDOSE.
>> AND PART OF WHAT HAPPENED
THERE WERE MULTIPLE REPORTS OF
DRUGS STABBINGS OF YOU GO DRUGS?
CAN YOU ELABORATE?
>> I PERSONALLY ONLY HEARD THE
ONE REPORT OF THE STABBING
NEEDLE AND THAT WAS FROM THE
SECURITY HIMSELF.
I'VE SPOKEN WITH PEOPLE AND
THROUGH FIRSTHAND ACCOUNTS
PEOPLE TOLD ME THEY SAW A LOT OF
DRUG USE AND ONE SPECIFIC PERSON
SAW A BAG OF COCAINE BEING
TOSSED AROUND.
THESE ARE ALL SPECULATION AND
HARD TO VERIFY THESE THINGS.
BUT WE ARE GOING TO HOPE THAT
THAT INVESTIGATION CLEARS THINGS
UP.
>> AND THERE IS ALREADY LAWSUITS
THAT HAVE BEEN FILED IN RELATION
TO THE INCIDENT.
WHAT DO THE LAWSUITS ENTAIL?
>> THERE IS 15 AS OF RIGHT NOW
AND IT'S SAFE TO ASSUME THE
NUMBER WILL INCREASE AS THE WEEK
GOES ON.
THEY ARE ALL AGAINST LIVE
NATION, CONCERT ORGANIZERS IN
GENERAL AND SOME NAMED TRAVIS
SCOTT AS A DEFENDANT.
THEY ARE ALL SAYING THAT THE
CONCERT ORGANIZERS AND SCOTT ARE
NEGLIGENT THE WAY THEY ORGANIZED
THE CONCERT AND ASKING FOR A
MILLION DOLLARS EACH.
>> AND THAT LIVE NATION IS THERE
ANY EVIDENCE THAT THEIR SECURITY
PROTOCOLS WEREN'T UP TO INDUSTRY
STANDARD?
OR IS THAT SOMETHING THAT THE
HOUSTON PD IS GOING TO
INVESTIGATE?
>> AGAIN ANOTHER THING THAT IS
PART OF THAT INVESTIGATION.
OFFICIALS HERE ARE GOING TO BE
LOOKING AT THE EMERGENCY PLAN
THAT THE CONCERT OR THE FESTIVAL
IN GENERAL HAD TO SUBMIT BEFORE
OPENING UP.
AND THEY WILL LOOK AT WHETHER
THAT PLAN WAS SUFFICIENT OR
FOLLOWED AFTER THE MASS CASUALTY
EVENT WAS TRIGGERED.
>> I KNOW A LOT OF CONCERNS
ABOUT THE BIG FESTIVALS.
LIKE LOLLAPALOOZA IN CHICAGO.