Chaos erupted at Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter tour stop in Atlanta this week after a 10-year-old fan’s unexpected reaction to a bug triggered a dangerous stampede.
The incident happened on Monday, July 14, after the concert ended. As fans poured out of the venue toward the Vine City MARTA station, the young fan spotted what appeared to be a cockroach—or possibly a palmetto bug—and began screaming uncontrollably, according to MARTA Police Chief Scott Kreher.
The child’s screams quickly sparked panic in the crowd, with concertgoers unsure of the cause but scrambling to get away. In the rush, escalators became overwhelmed and jammed as people packed onto them in an attempt to escape, creating a chaotic scene at the transit station.
According to Atlanta News First, nine people were injured during the stampede. Concertgoer Amber Anderson shared her terrifying experience, saying that when the escalator suddenly sped up, it created a pile-up of people at the bottom. “I fell on top of others who were already struggling to get up,” she recalled.
The panic quickly spread as more fans, hearing the screams and seeing people running toward them, assumed something serious was happening. “I see that people are starting to run at the entrance, which of course when you see somebody running, you probably want to run too,” Anderson explained.
One fan captured footage of the chaotic aftermath, showing people trying to help one another by directing others to back up and safely get off the packed escalator.
Of the nine people injured in the stampede, one suffered a broken ankle, another ended up with a sprained ankle, and several others left with cuts and bruises. One individual declined ambulance assistance and chose to leave on their own.
Beyoncé has been on the road since April, kicking off her Cowboy Carter tour in Inglewood, California. The tour is set to wrap up on Saturday, July 26, with a final show in Paradise, Nevada.
