Lawyer: Rapper Didn't Know There Was a Crisis

Spokesperson says Travis Scott didn't have the authority to stop the show anyway
By Bob Cronin,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 12, 2021 2:55 PM CST
Lawyer: Word of Crisis 'Never Got to Travis'
Attorney Rick Ramos, center, speaks Friday in Houston along with five potential litigants who attended the Travis Scott concert at Astroworld. From left are Jonathan Espinoza, attorney Trinidad Zamora, Eligio Garcia, Bryan Espinoza, Ramos, Camron Ann Mott, investigator Ruben Davila, and Ashley Chapa.   (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)

Travis Scott was busy onstage last weekend and had no idea he was performing at a mass casualty event, his lawyer said Friday. "He's up there trying to perform," Ed McPherson said. "He does not have any ability to know what's going on down below." Nine people who attended the Astroworld Music Festival in Houston have died of their injuries, and more than 90 lawsuits had been filed in Harris County District Court as of Friday. Appearing on ABC's Good Morning America, McPherson said the rapper was unaware of the declaration during his set. "That never got to Travis, that never got to Travis' crew," he said.

Another spokesperson for Scott said he couldn't have put a halt to the show even if he'd known what was happening in the crowd of 50,000, per Yahoo. According to the operations plan, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said on CBS Mornings, the only people with the authority to stop the show were the concert's executive producer and the producer. Scott not only didn't know about the disaster while onstage, he didn't know until much later, Rawlings-Blake said. "It was hours and hours after the concert when they actually found out the tragedy, how the tragedy unfolded," she said.

Houston's fire chief had said earlier in the week that if a performer sees a problem, "he can certainly pause that performance, turn on the lights and say, 'Hey, we're not going to continue until this thing is resolved.'" The police chief said, "We don't hold the plug." Victims and their lawyers held a press conference Friday, at which the injured discussed the experience. Uniqua Smith, 34, said it took her from 9:45pm until 2:45am to get out of the crowd. A woman near her appeared to be having a seizure, Smith said. "I'm looking around for the paramedics," she said. "I don't see anyone responding." When Smith finally got clear of the crush, she said, she fainted. (More Travis Scott stories.)

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