A talent organizer claims there was a lack of security and people were being turned away because the backstage area was “too packed to get in.”
According to the source, Drakeo was scheduled to perform on the G-Unit stage at 8:30 p.m. but the concert was running behind. The talent organizer told the L.A. Times that he saw “many attendees in the VIP area wearing red clothing as a potential sign of their Blood affiliation.”
They also alleged that there was a lack of security backstage, adding, “I probably saw at most two armed individuals, and they were at the VIP entrance telling people to turn away because it was too packed to get in.” However, music manager Robert “Smoov” Bryant, contested that there was ample security on the grounds.
“Some had USC gear, you had event security, artist security and you had officers from the LAPD stationed in that area,” Bryant said. “I felt very secure.”
Video of the assault shows a swarm of people involved in the melee, with many passersby watching from the perimeter. Once Drakeo falls to the ground, a half-dozen young men continue to attack him.
One eyewitness to the fight said that the security response was surprisingly slow. The eyewitness said he saw “no security remotely near there.” Security would have “had plenty of time to break up the fight, but there was maybe one guard trying to help,” said the person, who asked not to be identified so he could speak freely about what he saw.
Officer Luis Garcia, an LAPD spokesman, stated that investigators are trying to piece together what exactly occurred, but the talent organizer offered his opinion.
“Drakeo walked into the lions’ pit,” he said. No arrests have been made and no suspects have been named. We continue to offer our sincerest condolences to Drakeo’s loved ones. Read our interview with him, one of Drakeo The Ruler’s last, here: Drakeo The Ruler Always Counted His Blessings: Our Final Interview With The West Coast Staple.
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