Following a show by Nigerian Afrobeats musician Asake, hundreds of people forced their way into a London musical venue on Friday, leaving three people hospitalized in critical condition.
According to police, eight individuals were brought to hospitals after becoming entangled in a mob while attempting to enter the O2 Brixton Academy. Four people were initially considered to be critically ill. Two less gravely hurt individuals received treatment on the spot.
Emergency services were contacted Thursday night, according to the Metropolitan Police, after “a big crowd attempted to gain admission without tickets.” Hundreds of people are gathered outside the music hall, and dozens more are seen pressing through the doors and heading upstairs in video footage captured by onlookers.
Akin Oluwaleimu attended the event with his daughter, 14, but claimed he left when it got “rowdy” outdoors.
Two women passed out and had to be taken away high above. There was a lot of shoving, a lot of pushing, he told the BBC, which led to injuries.
A promoter entered the stage to inform the crowd that somebody had “breached the doors,” which resulted in the event being stopped.
I hope you recover quickly, Asake wrote in a statement on Instagram for the injured.
Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, expressed his “heartbreak that this could happen to Londoners in our city.”
He wrote on social media, “I won’t rest until we have the answers their loved ones need and deserve.
According to the police department, an extensive investigation of what transpired and how officers reacted will be conducted. One piece of the video appears to show police pushing a woman down a flight of steps near the entrance to the venue.
Ade Adelekan, the Metropolitan Police Gold Commander, stated that police officers “know they have to be accountable for their conduct.” He stated that a “thorough” investigation of the event will include reviewing the body-worn camera footage of the police.
“This is a really distressing situation that has left four patients in the hospital in severe condition.” “They and their families are in my thoughts and prayers,” he said.
One person, according to the police, was detained on suspicion of assaulting an officer.
One of the best-known music venues in the city is the Brixton Academy in south London. It has a capacity of a little under 5,000 and was constructed as a movie theater in the 1920s.
