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Tyler, The Creator Arrested for Encouraging a Riot at SXSW 2014

Zumic Staff

by Zumic Staff

Published March 17, 2014

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Tyler's mugshot

Odd Future head honcho Tyler, The Creator was arrested in Austin, Texas on Saturday for allegedly inciting a riot at his Thursday SXSW show. Watch footage of him egging on the crowd below, via TMZ.

The concert in question, a showcase put on by Converse and Thrasher magazine, was at capacity when Tyler began urging those outside of the venue's gates to "push" until they got in. SPIN's Garrett Kamps was there on the scene, and described the incident thusly:

And just like that, hundreds of people came rushing through the gates. I happened to be directly in their path when they did, and it felt like being hit with a wave: I pinged off this person and that person before stabilizing myself and catching my breath. I noticed the futile attempts of the security guards: a shit-kicker Joe Arpaio-type at the door tackled someone; another, meeker dude tried a clothesline that didn't work. It was of little use: the handful of guards were pushed aside like twigs in a flood. Someone came rushing to the sound booth where I'd moored myself and yelled at the sound guy to turn the music off. He did. I looked behind me and, to my horror, saw that they were locking the gates.

The show eventually went on, with Tyler performing a 20-minute-long set after the chaos subsided, but the rapper was not out of the fire yet. While at Austin's airport on Saturday, he was apprehended by police, taken into custody and charged with a Class A Misdemeanor, which could result in up to a year in jail and a $4,000 fine. After securing the $25,000 he needed for bail, Tyler was out in time to play a sold-out show at Dallas' House of Blues on the same day that he was arrested.

The incident on Thursday came hours after a drunk driver plowed into a SXSW crowd, killing three and injuring 22 more, and many news outlets were quick to draw a through-line to Tyler's actions. In response to people mentioning his riot-mongering and the tragic crash in the same context, Tyler tweeted:

SXSW is no stranger to riots, as a similar one happened in 2011 at Death From Above 1979's reunion show, but the difference in this case is Tyler's clear encouragement of riotous behavior.

For more on Tyler, The Creator's music, videos and news, visit his Zumic artist page.

Sources: TMZ, SPIN

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