U.S. Park Police issued three citations and arrested one person after a crowd crush developed at a free Turnstile concert near the Washington Monument on Saturday, Oct. 24.
Concertgoers pushed against security fencing, crushing others in the crowd, police said. Officers on foot and horseback responded and directed people away from the fence, according to WUSA9, which first reported the enforcement actions.
Some people disobeyed officers' orders and threw objects at or spat on officers, police said. Others interfered with what police described as lawful detentions.
The arrest was for a closure violation. No injuries were reported.
The Baltimore hardcore band's free show drew an estimated 60,000 people to the National Mall, according to organizers cited by Fox 5 DC. The concert was the final stop on Turnstile's "Never Enough" tour and doubled as a fundraiser for Human Concern International, a charity supporting humanitarian efforts in Palestine, Sudan and Lebanon.
The 75-minute set began shortly after 3 p.m. Lead singer Brendan Yates, who grew up in Burtonsville, Maryland, addressed the crowd midway through the show. He led chants of "Free Palestine! Free Sudan! Free Lebanon!" with his head turned toward the White House, less than a mile away, Billboard reported, citing The Washington Post.
Before the concert, Human Concern International global director Hassan Wadi announced from the stage that the event had already raised $150,000, surpassing its $100,000 goal, Billboard reported. By Sunday, Oct. 25, the fundraiser's online page showed more than $220,000 collected, according to Consequence. Fox 5 DC reported the total exceeded $240,000 from about 3,500 donors as of that afternoon.
The specific charges behind the three citations have not been made public. The nature of the closure violation that led to the arrest also remains unclear.
Events of this size on the National Mall require a special event permit from the National Mall and Memorial Parks Permits Management Program, according to the National Park Service. Whether the concert held such a permit, and what its crowd-management terms were, has not been publicly disclosed.
Turnstile won two Grammy Awards in February for Best Rock Album and Best Metal Performance. The band made its "Saturday Night Live" debut earlier in October.
