Festivalgoer's Death, Gun Arrest Near Grounds, Attempted Security Breaches Among Issues At Lollapalooza This Year
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A festivalgoer has died after being rushed to the hospital from Lollapalooza this weekend.
The Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications reported that a 24-year-old fan of an unspecified gender was taken from the festival in Grant Park in critical condition due to a medical emergency.
Further information on the medical emergency was not provided.
The incident originated at Perry's Stage, located south of Balbo Drive and west of Columbus Drive, the OEMC said.
"That's awful," a festivalgoer said.
"I feel so badly for them and their family," another said.
It was one of a few problems the city reported at Lollapalooza this year.
On Friday evening, an undercover Chicago Police officer found three men running near the 11th Street Bridge -- near, but slightly outside the footprint of the festival -- and saw one of the men take out a gun and throw it under a bush, the OEMC said. Another man in the group picked up the gun and was arrested by police after a chase, the OEMC said.
A fully loaded 9mm gun was recovered, the OEMC said.
"That's definitely scary," a festivalgoer told CBS 2's Jeremy Ross.
"I didn't hear anything until now but yeah, that's pretty crazy," another said of the gun arrest.
Also on Friday evening, Lollapalooza-goers were alarmed by a viral video showing people jumping a security fence in droves – so many at a time that the fence actually came down.
Some festivalgoers complained that it was unfair for people to storm into the festival without paying, given how much money those who attended legitimately had paid to get in. Others expressed concern that anyone jumping a fence had also evaded security and could be carrying a dangerous item.
CBS 2 reached out festival staff, Chicago Police, and the OEMC. They said none of the people who jumped the fence in the video actually made it into Lollapalooza.
"Just after 2 p.m. today, approximately 50 people attempted to breach an exterior perimeter fence at Michigan Ave. and Balbo Drive. Both CPD and festival security responded immediately to the situation and resolved it within moments. As a result, no one was able to gain entry to the festival."
Officials say there are layers of fences and they've reinforced security outside of them.
The OEMC did, however, say there were some cases where people did make unauthorized entry into the park. Police and security personnel responded immediately and resolved the issues, the OEMC said.
Security adjustments have drastically reduced gate-crashing incidents during Lollapalooza in recent years, the OEMC said.
Arrests were also reported for theft, battery, and drug possession and delivery, while administrative notices of ordinance violations were issued for such infractions as criminal trespass and drone use.
Paramedics took 38 people to the hospital from Lollapalooza on Friday and 30 on Saturday, the OEMC said. Most of the Saturday transports were alcohol-related, the OEMC said.
Back in 2017, the festival grounds had to be evacuated at one point due to severe weather. In contrast, the 2019 stretch of music was accompanied by clear skies and pleasant temperatures – for many, but not all.
"Today, it got pretty hot and we were sweating pretty hard," one festivalgoer said.
But another said Sunday that the weather for the festival could not be better.
Sunday is the last day for Lollapalooza. More than 100,000 people were expected to attend each day.
