Dev Hynes, the British singer behind Blood Orange, alleged that he and his girlfriend were assaulted by Lollapalooza security guards shortly after his Friday, August 1 set at the music festival.
Hynes chronicled the event in a series of messages sent from his Twitter account, The Huffington Post reports:
Samantha and I just got assaulted by the security. We are about to press charges
— Devonté Hynes (@devhynes) August 2, 2014
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 — Devonté Hynes (@devhynes) August 2, 2014
Everyone saw it. We are pressing charges, I can’t believe it. I’m so upset. Why is this still happening? I just want to make music
— Devonté Hynes (@devhynes) August 2, 2014
I WAS JUMPED BY THREE SECURITY GUARDS AND SAMANTHA WAS TOUCHED BY SECURITY. WE ARE HURT. WE PLAYED YOUR FESTIVAL. @lollapalooza — Devonté Hynes (@devhynes) August 2, 2014
Hynes reportedly gave a speech during his set that touched on the subjects of racial violence and police brutality. During the performance, he was wearing a homemade shirt which listed the names of several victims of violence, including Eric Garner, who died after being placed in a chokehold by police, as The Inquisitr previously reported.
I gave a speech on racism and police brutality and then I am jumped by three security guards and my gf is assaulted. @lollapalooza
— Devonté Hynes (@devhynes) August 2, 2014
Samantha & I made this T-shirt which I’m wearing today. The set is dedicated to these names & more. We remember. pic.twitter.com/si4ndgDrK1 — Devonté Hynes (@devhynes) August 1, 2014
According to Hynes, comments made by fans on Lollapalooza’s Facebook page were being deleted following the incident. Fans also reported on Twitter that they left comments about the incident which disappeared after they were posted to Lollapalooza’s page.
Apparently people are tweeting & writing on @lollapalooza Facebook page and they keep deleting the comments
— Devonté Hynes (@devhynes) August 2, 2014
Lollapalooza organizers released a statement addressing the situation, according to Billboard :
“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.”
Samantha Urbani, Hynes’ girlfriend, performed alongside him during the set and was involved in the incident. She related via Twitter that after speaking with Lollapalooza representatives, she learned that the security guards in question were “NOT Lolla staff, but privately hired for that stage.”
[Image via Billboard ]
