British artist Dev Hynes, better known as Blood Orange, claims that he and his girlfriend were assaulted by security guards at Lollapalooza after a performance. In a series of tweets, Hynes and Samantha Urbani said they will be pressing charges, and the concert organizers are doing some damage control.
Last Friday, Lollapalooza rocked the city of Chicago where Blood Orange performed. Wearing a t-shirt honoring the names of the recently slain Eric Garner, and Florida teens Trayon Martin and Jordan Davis, Hynes says he gave a speech on police brutality which must have sparked the incident.
“They grabbed her I asked what they were doing and they grabbed my neck and threw me to the ground, then two others joined in on me,” tweeted Hynes. He explained that three security guards jumped him before going after Urbani, who also wore a shirt blasting police brutality.
He followed with, “I’m in pain, what the f—. The irony after my t shirt and message this morning, we are in shock.”
As reported by Vulture, Urbani said in a deleted tweet that the guards that allegedly jumped them were outsourced employees and not directly a part of the Lollapalooza festival staff.
Lollapalooza organizers have issued a statement, but it appears that witnesses calling attention to the matter on their Facebook page are having their comments deleted.
“Late Friday night, we learned of an incident involving an artist and a security guard on site. Since then, we have been in contact with those involved and the authorities, as we work together to resolve the situation. As always, our top priority is to ensure the safety of everyone at the festival,” said a statement from Lollapalooza.
Hynes brushed off a claim that he assaulted one of his attackers first and is asking witnesses to come forth.
—
Photo: Twitter/Dev Hynes
