On Saturday, five people were reported injured following a false active shooting scare at The Roots’ Roots Picnic gathering at The Mann in Philadelphia. Concert goers were trampled during the scary incident, which occurred in the early evening during rapper 21 Savage‘s set.
According to Billy Penn,
The cause of the turmoil was a fistfight near the second-largest of three stages. False rumors quickly spread that there was an active shooter, which fueled fears across the outdoor venue. Philly police arrived on scene shortly after the initial panic, and remained on site. Thousands of attendees left the concert before the final headliners took the stage. Others waited out the melee in makeshift tents and shelters.
#RootsPicnic2019 #6abcAction #philly #21savage @theroots @rootspicnic @MannCenter @questlove @fpbpodcast #rootspicnic @21savage pic.twitter.com/0a0K0GisUF
— Chauncey Brown (@chaunceybe_) June 2, 2019
My first #RootsPicnic and it was the worst experience ever. I’ve never feared for my life like I did. False alarm or not I wasn’t sticking around to find out. #bringbacktheoleschool
— ♍UniquelyMade♍️ (@ebnate2wise) June 2, 2019
Idk if it was a shooting, the stage collapsing, or someone getting stabbed. There were hundreds of people running toward me and folks got trampled. I’m okay physically, but I’m leaving #RootsPicnic
— Jéri (@TeachWriteRise) June 1, 2019
No weapon was found or recovered once Philadelphia police arrived on the scene. Four of the five attendees with reported injuries were underage. “It was scary. Everybody just started running from one side of the area and they came trembling,” Dewan Williams Clark, a witness, told CBS Philly.
As of Sunday afternoon, neither the festival or The Roots have released any comments in the wake of the traumatic turn of events.
[H/T Rolling Stone]