More Fans Hurt in Crowd Crush at Morrissey Concert

November 05, 1991|DENNIS ROMERO

Between 20 and 25 fans were treated for heat exhaustion and various injuries Monday at a Morrissey concert in Santa Monica, three days after nearly 50 people were hurt when fans rushed the stage at the singer's invitation during his concert at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion.

The singer did not invite fans to come to the front at Monday's concert at the 4,200-seat Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, but too many people at the sold-out show crowded into an area at the front of the stage, authorities said.

Seven people at Monday's concert were sent to hospitals with conditions ranging from hyperventilation to hip, foot and leg injuries, authorities said. The injuries were all caused by the crush of the crowd, fire officials said.

Claudia Garcia, 19, of El Monte said a security guard had to drag her out of the crowd through the stage "because it was too wild. Everybody was stepping on everybody. I almost got killed. They had to pick me up and drag me out through the stage."

Promoter Ian Copeland said festival seating--with no assigned seats--was used at Monday's show, but that arrangement was not the cause of the injuries.

"I think it was because there were 80% to 90% girls," he said. "They're more susceptible to being crushed by the weight of all those bodies."

Morrissey had asked radio station KROQ (106.7 FM) to record Monday's show--for possible broadcast tonight--as a way to apologize to fans at the UCLA concert, which was stopped after the rush toward the stage. But the show was not recorded because of complications with record company approvals and sound levels, organizers said.

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