50 cited for underage drinking, 100 hospitalized at Chance the Rapper concert
More than 100 people were hospitalized and 50 citations were issued for underage drinking at the Hot 93.7′s Hot Jam concert featuring Chance the Rapper in Hartford, Connecticut Friday night.
There were roughly 21,000 people in attendance at the concert, which also featured performances by Kyle, PnB Rock and ANoyd. “The fan base last night appeared to be in the late teens and early 20s,” Hartford Deputy Chief of Police Brian Foley said. “Tailgating, partying and excessive alcohol consumption was extremely prevalent.” Foley adds that underage concertgoers made up a large percentage of those experiencing “severe intoxication.”
During the concert, there were so many arrests that some of the patients had to be taken to hospitals outside of Hartford. Hartford Fire Capt. Raul Ortiz said that the “constant cycling of transports” overwhelmed the department.
In addition to the more than 100 people hospitalized, 50 attendees were issued citations for underage drinking. Most of them were given a “promise to appear” summons with court dates set for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
The rampant drinking was certainly not due to a lack of enforcement, though. There were more than 70 police officers at the event, which included an underage-enforcement detail hired through a state Department of Transportation grant.
Deputy Chief Foley tweeted a couple of videos from the concert acknowledging that they will obviously need to take additional steps in the future:
Parents:
Did you drop your teen off at the concert tonight. This is what it looks like. & HPD is enforcing underage drinking in the lots. pic.twitter.com/qtsVKOGJTH— D/C Foley (@LtFoley) July 21, 2017
1:2 HPD has made a high number of Underage Drinking Referrals. I'm told there was an extraordinary number of EMS transports of severe ETOH. pic.twitter.com/22oqv5OCUk
— D/C Foley (@LtFoley) July 22, 2017
2:2 Additional steps will have to be taken to address these issues at these concerts. pic.twitter.com/MP37uleHV7
— D/C Foley (@LtFoley) July 22, 2017
None of the concert performers have yet to address the arrests on social media.
