Fan rushes field to hug Lionel Messi during LAFC vs. Inter Miami matchup
9/4/23
LOS ANGELES (KABC) — Things got a little “Messi” during Sunday night’s match between LAFC and Inter Miami.
Video captured the moment a Barcelona fan rushed the field to get close to soccer superstar Lionel Messi but was dragged away.
Sports Illustrated reports Messi’s personal bodyguard jumped into action during the second half of the match.
The report also praised LAFC defender Aaron Long (No. 33) for being willing to step in front of Messi and slow the fan down. The fan was able to touch Messi before he was pulled away and taken by three members of BMO Stadium security.
Miami landed a 3-1 road victory over LAFC.
Despite the loss, Los Angeles remains in third place in the MLS Western Conference. Their next game is set for Saturday in Portland.
https://abc7.com/lionel-messi-fan-rushes-field-bmo-stadium-video-of-trying-to-hug/13735371/
Protesters arrested after delaying US Open match
Play at the U.S. Open was interrupted on Thursday night.
ABC News Live
Two protesters have been arrested after play at the U.S. Open was interrupted on Thursday night when they began shouting and one glued his feet to the ground during a match at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York.
Sayak Mukhopadhyay, 50, of White Plains, was charged with criminal trespass and disorderly conduct after gluing his feet to the concrete floor in the stands. Gregory Schwedock, 35, of Manhattan, who was also escorted out, was charged with criminal trespass.
Both were given tickets to appear in court at a later date.
Two other protesters were given trespassing notices by the U.S. Open, which effectively puts them on notice that they are no longer permitted on the grounds.
The delay of the match between Coco Gauff and Karolina Muchova began at 8:05 p.m. ET when protesters appeared to be shouting about climate change. They were wearing shirts that read “End Fossil Fuels.”
“Following the first game of the second set in the Gauff-Muchova match, play was halted due to a protest conducted by four spectators,” the U.S. Tennis Association said in a statement Thursday night.
“Three of the four protesters were escorted out of the stadium without further incident. The fourth protester affixed their bare feet to the floor of the seating bowl. Due to the nature of this action, NYPD and medical personnel were needed in order to safely remove this individual from the stadium,” the statement continued.
The NYPD took four protesters into custody, according to the USTA.
Play resumed after the 49-minute incident. Gauff would eventually win the match in two sets to advance to her first U.S. Open final.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/us-open-interrupted-climate-change-protesters/story?id=103015951
Death at Burning Man 2023
Death investigated at Burning Man while 70,000 festival attendees remain stuck in Nevada desert after rain
Sun, September 3, 2023
Authorities are investigating a death at the Burning Man festival in the Nevada desert as thousands of people remain trapped on site after heavy rains inundated the area and created thick, ankle-deep mud which sticks to campers’ shoes and vehicle tires.
Attendees were told to shelter in place in the Black Rock Desert and conserve food, water and fuel after a rainstorm swamped the area, forcing officials to halt any entering or leaving of the festival.
“A little over 70,000 people,” remained stranded Saturday, Sgt. Nathan Carmichael, with the Pershing County Sheriff’s Office, told CNN Sunday morning. Some people have left the site by walking out but “most of the RVs are stuck in place,” he said.
On Sunday morning, event organizers said roads remained closed as they were “too wet and muddy” and more uncertain weather was likely on the way. While some vehicles were able to leave, others got stuck in the mud, organizers said on the event’s website.
“Please do NOT drive at this time,” they added. “We will update you on the driving ban after this weather front has left the area.”
The remote area in northwest Nevada was hit with 2 to 3 months’ worth of rain – up to 0.8 inches – in just 24 hours between Friday and Saturday morning. The heavy rainfall fell on dry desert grounds, whipping up thick, clay-like mud festivalgoers said was too difficult to walk or bike through.
The sheriff’s office said it is investigating “a death which occurred during this rain event.” Authorities did not publicly name the person or provide details on the circumstances of the death.
“The family has been notified and the death is under investigation,” the sheriff’s office said in a late Saturday news release.
The individual was found on the playa and lifesaving procedures to revive them were not successful, Carmichael said Sunday, but did not share further details.
Playa is the term used to describe sunken dry lake beds in deserts where water evaporates rather than running off, and even a small amount of rain can quickly soak a large area.
Event organizers said they plan to burn the Man – the huge totem set on fire at the festival’s culmination – on Sunday night, if weather allows.
The rainy conditions forecast over the area for Sunday afternoon had mostly passed to the east of the festival site, according to a social media post from organizers, though there is still a chance of showers and thunderstorms “for the rest of daylight hours” into the evening.
How long this could last
Authorities have not provided information on when roads could reopen, but the sunshine is expected to return Monday.
“We do not currently have an estimated time for the roads to be dry enough for RVs or vehicles to navigate safely,” Burning Man organizers said in a Saturday evening statement. “Monday late in the day would be possible if weather conditions are in our favor. It could be sooner.”
Organizers noted the rain falling on an already saturated playa overnight and Sunday “will affect the amount of time it takes for the playa to dry.”
For now, the gate and airport into Black Rock City remain closed and no driving is allowed into or out of the city except for emergency vehicles, the organizers said on social media. Black Rock City is a temporary metropolis erected annually for the festival and comes complete with emergency, safety and sanitary infrastructure.
The rain “made it virtually impossible for motorized vehicles to traverse the playa,” the Pershing County Sheriff’s Office said, noting people were advised to shelter in place until the ground has dried enough to drive on safely.
Vehicles trying to drive out will get stuck in the mud, Burning Man organizers said Saturday. “It will hamper Exodus if we have cars stuck on roads in our camping areas, or on the Gate Road out of the city,” the organizers added.
“If you are in BRC, please shelter in place & stay safe,” organizers said.
Storms and heavy rains across Nevada flooded other parts of the state and may have led to another death. In Las Vegas, authorities found a person unresponsive and “entangled with debris,” on Saturday morning who is believed to be “a drowning victim,” according to Jace Radke, a spokesperson for the city. An investigation is ongoing, Radke said in a news release.
Difficult conditions, but some stay positive
Some festivalgoers hiked miles on foot in the thick mud to reach main roads while others stayed at their camps, hoping for conditions to improve.
Hannah Burhorn, a first-time attendee at the festival, told CNN people were trudging through the mud barefoot or with bags tied around their feet.
“People who have tried to bike through it and have gotten stuck because it’s about ankle deep,” Burhorn said. The mud is so thick it “sticks to your shoes and makes it almost like a boot around your boot,” she added.
It’s unclear exactly how many people are stranded at the festival, but typically more than 70,000 people attend the weeklong event. It’s being held from August 28 to September 4 this year.
There weren’t any reports of injuries as of Saturday afternoon, Sean Burke, the director of emergency management for Pershing County, told CNN.
Amar Singh Duggal and his friends managed to leave the festival after hiking about 2 miles in the mud, he told CNN. He estimated it took them about 2 hours to get to a main road where they arranged to be picked up and taken to Reno, about a 120-mile drive from the event grounds.
“We made it, but it was pure hell (walking) through the mud,” Duggal said. “Each step felt like we were walking with two big cinder blocks on our feet.”
Among those attending the festival was DJ Diplo and comedian Chris Rock.
Rock posted a video on Instagram of thick mud and Diplo posted a series of videos in which he said a fan offered him and Rock a ride out of the site.
The DJ said they walked several miles and were able to get to a nearby airport.
Meanwhile, attendees who typically dedicate their time to making art and building community are now also focused on rationing supplies and dealing with connectivity issues.
“There is super limited bandwidth and a lot of people at the camp (are) trying to cancel flights and arrange for extended time here” due to the weather, Burhorn told CNN via text message from a Wi-Fi camp.
Still, the poor conditions have not stopped the creativity, said Burhorn, who had traveled from San Francisco.
“People are building mud sculptures,” she said.
Andrew Hyde, another attendee stuck at the Burning Man, said despite the muddy conditions making it difficult to walk, the weather has taken the meaning of the event back to its roots.
“You come out here to be in a harsh climate, and you prepare for that,” Hyde told CNN’s Paula Newton. “So in many ways, everybody here just kind of made friends with their neighbors and it’s a community event.”
Morale at the event is OK and there’s generally no panic among the attendees, Hyde said, describing music returning overnight.
There are worries about the additional rain causing delays, however, and the unknowns of worsening conditions.
“I think the concern is if we have another rain,” he said. “People need to go back to their jobs, back to the responsibilities they have back home.”
Assistance brought in
Organizers announced Saturday night they’ll be putting mobile cell trailers in different positions, configuring the organization’s Wi-Fi system for public access and deploying buses to nearby Gerlach to take people who might walk off the playa to Reno.
“This is not likely a 24-hour operation at this time,” the festival said in a statement on its website.
Organizers are also resourcing four-wheel-drive vehicles and all-terrain tires to help ferry medical and other urgent situations to the blacktop.
There have been people who managed to walk to a main road and were waiting for transport from the festival organizers Saturday night, the Pershing County Sheriff’s Office said.
Resources have been brought in from around northern Nevada to help people with medical needs on the event grounds, the sheriff’s office said.
“Burning Man is a community of people who are prepared to support one another,” Burning Man said on its website. “We have come here knowing this is a place where we bring everything we need to survive. It is because of this that we are all well-prepared for a weather event like this.”
“We have done table-top drills for events like this,” organizers added. “We are engaged full-time on all aspects of safety and looking ahead to our Exodus as our next priority.”
CNN’s Gene Norman, Paradise Afshar, Sharif Paget, Christal Hayes, Michelle Watson and Angela Fritz contributed to this report.
For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
https://www.yahoo.com/news/burning-man-attendees-still-stranded-054840180.html
One dead, another injured after shooting at Louisiana high school football game
A student was killed and another person was injured after a shooting occurred during a high school football game Friday at Port Allen High School in Louisiana.
The West Baton Rouge School Board released a statement Saturday confirming that a student was killed during the shooting, which took place at halftime during the Port Allen-Brusly High School game.
The full statement read:
“We are deeply saddened by the shooting that took place at the Port Allen High/Brusly High football game on Friday night. Our first priorities at this time are to assist the family of the student who died, and all our students, and to assist the West Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office in its investigation.
“Although we had extra security at this game, it ended in a tragic incident. At this time, we ask for prayers for all involved. We will have crisis teams ready to talk with and assist our students at our high schools when classes resume Tuesday morning. And while we do not expect any problems at school, we will have an increased security presence at schools for the coming period.
“We will not issue any information on the shooting. Any requests for more information about the incident or those involved should be made to the West Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office.
“‘We have on-going programs in our schools that teach students ways to resolve disputes with their peers. We will re-double those efforts and work with the Sheriff’s Office, District Attorney’s Office and others in the coming months to teach our students that violence destroys many people’s lives,” said superintendent Chandler Smith. ‘Our prayers are with everyone touched by this tragedy. In times like these our entire community grieves. By loving and supporting each other, we will get through it.’”
The rest of the game was canceled following the shooting. The name of the student who was killed was not released.
West Baton Rouge Sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. Landon Groger said Friday that no arrest was made in the shooting, according to WAFB 9 in Baton Rouge. Police are still investigating the incident.
https://sports.yahoo.com/one-dead-another-injured-after-shooting-at-louisiana-high-school-football-game-171910443.html
Police Arrest Three Juveniles on Gun Charges Outside HS Football Game
Andy Berg
8/28/23- Athletic Business
Police in Columbus, Ohio, have confirmed that three juveniles were arrested for brandishing guns outside a football game Friday between Carver and Spencer High Schools.
Two 15-year-olds and one 16-year-old were arrested outside A.J. McClung Stadium on weapons charges. The teens’ names are not being released due to their age.
According to the local CBS affiliate, three guns, including one that was reported stolen, were confiscated.
Two of the teenagers were taken into custody when they were seen brandishing the guns, according to police.
The incident reportedly started a fight inside the stadium at the end of the third quarter, which created a panic that spread outside the stadium, and the game was halter and not finished as a result.
There were unsubstantiated reports that shots were fired outside the stadium, but police have since confirmed that was not the case, and no injuries were reported.
The Muscogee School District released the following statement:
“The Columbus Police Department and Muscogee County School District Police are currently investigating the situation at the Heritage Bowl between Carver and Spencer High Schools. The football game ended early due to fights. The altercation spilled over to the parking lot, where authorities received unsubstantiated reports of shots being fired away from the stadium. Our primary concern is to ensure the safety of everyone involved and gather information about the incident.”
https://www.athleticbusiness.com/operations/safety-security/article/15545897/police-arrest-three-juveniles-on-gun-charges-outside-hs-football-game?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ATHLCD230828002&utm_term=&oly_enc_id=0795F0391467A9T
One Dead, Four Injured in Shooting at High School Football Game
Andy Berg
8/28/23 Athletic Business
A 16-year-old boy is dead after a shooting at an Oklahoma high school football game on Friday.
According to NBC News, gunshots erupted from the visitor side of the stadium at Choctaw High School during the third quarter of a game against Del City High School.
Police said the incident began with an argument between at least two men in the stands.
A 16-year-old who was not a student at Choctaw was shot in the groin area. He was taken to the hospital where he died of his injuries. Four other people sustained injuries, including a 42-year-old man who was shot in the chest. The man is the ICU and in stable condition.
A girl was shot in her thigh but was treated at the hospital and released. Two other girls suffered injuries while trying to flee the area. One had a broken wrist and the other had a broken leg.
A police officer with the Choctaw Police Department reportedly discharged his firearm at the scene, which the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office is investigation. The Choctaw Police Department had five officers at the game for security purposes, as well as two Del City police officers.
Two guns and eight rounds were recovered from the scene.
In a joint statement, Choctaw-Nicoma Park Schools Superintendent David Reid and Mid-Del Schools Superintendent Rick Cobb said both districts are working with police.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to all affected by tonight’s incident,” Reid and Cobb said in the statement released on Friday.
An investigation into the matter is ongoing.
https://www.athleticbusiness.com/operations/safety-security/article/15545894/one-dead-four-injured-in-shooting-at-high-school-football-game?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ATHLCD230828002&utm_term=&oly_enc_id=0795F0391467A9T
District Ups Security Measures After Teen Brings ‘Ghost Gun’ to HS Football Game
Andy Berg
8/28/23
The Cheltenham (Pa.) School District is implementing new security measures this week after a student allegedly brought a loaded gun to a high school football in Abington Township.
According to the local NBC affiliate, the incident occurred Friday, Aug. 25, shortly before 8:30 p.m. during a football game between Abington and Cheltenham High Schools at the Abington High School stadium.
A parent reported to police that they had seen a teen with a weapon inside the stadium. Responding officers spotted the 17-year-old boy wearing a surgical mask and sitting int he back corner of the stadium with another teen.
The boy was found to have a loaded handgun with an extended magazine protruding from his waist. Police also said the teen was in possession of a second loaded magazine.
“I walked up to him, just casually. Just said, ‘Hey, can I talk to you?’ Put my hand on his shoulder,” Abington Police Officer Jordan Jones said. “As soon as I put my hand on his shoulder, he ducked down and reached for his waistband. At which point, me and Officer Marrero grabbed the gentleman that we recovered the weapon from and took him to the ground.”
The teen was taken into custody and escorted out of the stadium without further incident. No injuries were reported but the game was suspended at halftime out of an abundance of caution. Police are still trying to determine a motive for the student bringing the gun to the stadium.
At a press conference, police referred to the gun as a “ghost gun,” or a privately made gun that doesn’t have a serial number.
“This has more rounds than police officers carry on duty. It’s a 30 round, high capacity magazine,” Abington Police Detective Steve Fink said. “It’s with another high capacity magazine. Thirty one rounds with one in the chamber. And, you’ll see here this is a red light laser that was also on the gun.”
- All students must show a valid student ID to enter the game.
- More security staff will be present.
- Police officers will patrol the stadium and parking lot, which will also have more lighting.
- People won’t have access to large open areas where students often congregate.
- No one will be allowed to bring in a backpack or bags to the stadium.
- No one will be allowed to wear a mask that completely covers their face.
Ejected HS Football Fan Found Circling Stadium With Stolen Guns
Fan behavior and stadium security concerns don’t necessarily end with ejection, as evidenced when a man who had been removed from a high school football game in Orlando, Fla., was found circling the stadium with several stolen guns in his car.
As reported by Fox 35 in Orlando, members of the Orlando Police Department were on routine patrol as Jones High School hosted Tampa Jesuit High School faced off in the annual Legacy Classic at Camping World Stadium on Friday night.
Officers witnessed a man who was kicked out of the game get into a car in the parking lot, which was then seen circling the area several times “as if they were looking for someone,” police said.
When officers initiated a traffic stop, six men were inside the car and probable cause was established for a search.
During the search, five guns were recovered — three of them were listed as stolen and one was a “ghost gun,” meaning it had no serial number, police said.
https://www.athleticbusiness.com/operations/safety-security/article/15545646/ejected-hs-football-fan-found-circling-stadium-with-stolen-guns?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ATHLCD230822005&utm_term=&oly_enc_id=0795F0391467A9T
Influencer Kai Cenat charged with inciting a riot after New York City mayhem
Influencer Kai Cenat charged with inciting a riot after New York City mayhem
Reuters
August 5, 2023
Aug 5 (Reuters) – Social media influencer Kai Cenat has been charged with inciting a riot after he announced a giveaway of video game consoles that drew thousands of people to a New York City park on Friday and sparked violent clashes with police.
Sixty-five people were arrested, including 30 juveniles, and several police officers and civilians were injured in the melee at Union Square park, Jeffrey Maddrey, the New York Police Department’s highest-ranking uniformed officer, told a news conference late on Friday.
Some in the crowd threw projectiles at police, climbed onto the roof of a subway entrance and jumped on top of cars.
Cenat, best known for his live streams on the gaming site Twitch and YouTube videos, was also charged with unlawful assembly, Maddrey said.
He said the crowd started to calm down when police officers evacuated Cenat from the park.
In a video posted Thursday, Cenat told his followers that the giveaway would include computers and Playstation 5 consoles.
Cenat, 21, has 6.5 million followers on Twitch and 4 million subscribers on YouTube. He was named “Streamer of the Year” in 2022 at the Streamy Awards.
Reporting by Eric Beech in Washington; Editing by David Gregorio
Houston police releases long-awaited 1,200-page report on Travis Scott Astroworld disaster
July 28, 2023
Houston police releases long-awaited 1,200-page report on Travis Scott Astroworld disaster
July 28, 2023 2:56 PM PT
The Houston Police Department has released its report into the 2021 Astroworld crowd-crush disaster that left 10 dead and hundreds injured.
The 1,266-page report is the most detailed look yet into the decision-making that allowed the show, headlined and co-promoted by rapper Travis Scott, to continue well after authorities declared a mass casualty event.
In HPD’s interviews with Scott, he told police that he did not recall being given any clear signals to stop his set.
“We asked if he at any point heard the crowd telling him to stop the show,” the report says. “He stated that if he had heard something like that he would have done something. The first time he realized something was wrong or rather that there was a problem was when he was on the lift and he noticed the person down near the stage who then received medical attention.”
“Normally if it was something drastic,” Scott told HPD, “someone would have to come hit the button or pull the plug.”
The report says that several witnesses recalled Scott being told through his in-ear monitors to stop the show, as there were “bodies on the ground.” Others said they alerted his live audio team to tell him stop the show, but were rebuffed.
HPD said that recordings of his in-ear monitor were too muddy to decipher.
In June, a Harris County, Texas, grand jury declined to pursue criminal charges against Scott or any individual in the Astroworld catastrophe. Many civil suits remain against Scott and Live Nation, the show’s promoter.
One significant passage of the HPD report recounts a conversation between an Astroworld security executive, Marty Wallgren, and members of the show’s live audio team. Wallgren recounted trying to alert Scott that they needed to tell him to stop the show, but the audio team allegedly refused.
“Marty stated again that the key rebuttal or argument against shutting down the show at 10 was that Drake still had three more songs or Drake has not yet completed his set. He repeatedly told them that he did not care how many songs Drake had left and that this situation was much bigger than Drake … He stated that both ‘Bizzy’ [audio engineer Bilal Joseph] and the other guy resisted the directions they were given and actively impeded the ability for anyone to stop the show at a time other than the one they desired.”
Houston Police also interviewed Drake, who took the stage during a chaotic portion of the set.
“We asked if he [Drake] ever heard from the crowd to stop the show. He stated that he did not hear that. He explained that the ear piece drowns out a lot of outside sound … I asked him about the message that Travis Scott told us that he received which in summary asked him to end the show after the guest (Drake). He stated that he did not receive that message or was unaware of it.”
The report includes comprehensive interviews with survivors in the immediate aftermath of the event. One witness, Ayden Cruz, recounted the scene in the crowd.
“Ayden reported feeling his feet swept up off the floor and he fell down. Ayden said he felt like he was losing oxygen and he began to yell for help as he fell to the ground. Ayden said he turned to survival mode to get himself out from under people as he was getting stepped on and his feet began to hurt and he had to slip his shoes off to protect his feet from being crushed. Ayden reported he saw Brianna go down towards the ground then he heard her voice yelling ‘I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe!’”
The report also quotes an Astroworld camera operator, who says that a crane operator on site told the show’s production team, “There are dead bodies underneath the crane, people are getting hurt. Shut it down.”
Houston officials have yet to institute any comprehensive regulations around concert safety since the disaster.
The HPD report came on the same day that Scott released “Utopia,” his first LP since his 2018 “Astroworld” album.
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2023-07-28/travis-scott-astroworld-festival-houston-police-report