Luke Bryan concert in Pittsburgh prompts over 100 calls to 911

Luke Bryan concert in Pittsburgh prompts over 100 calls to 911

A number of people were arrested on charges ranging from public intoxication to aggravated assault.

 

Fans of Luke Bryan had a rowdy time Saturday resulting in multiple calls to 911 and a number of people arrested on charges ranging from public intoxication to aggravated assault.

The concert, which took place at Heinz Field, home of the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers, was expected to draw over 50,000 attendees, many of which began tailgating in the parking lots around 11 a.m. With a start time of 6 p.m., that gave concert-goers plenty of time to party before the show and, according to sources, the pre-show revelry was kept to a minimum.

But as the day went on, the police presence grew in size. Authorities didn’t want a repeat of last year’s turmoil which took place at a Kenny Chesney concert that saw 73 people arrested or cited and 150 incidents that involved medical attention. Fans left behind over 45,000 pounds garbage in the parking areas.

This year, however, those numbers were decreased dramatically even though there was no shortage of activity that required the participation of law enforcement.

Sonya Toler, spokeswoman for the Pittsburgh Police Department, said that 37 people were issued non-traffic related violations, including 20 for ticket scalping, 10 public urination violations, six disorderly conduct citations, and one for public intoxication. Seven people face more serious charges for aggravated assault and public intoxication. Toler also reported that 15 fights had to be broken up and that there were well over 100 calls to 911 services asking for police and medical assistance.

Some of the public urination charges stemmed from a shortage of available facilities. The sidewalks around the stadium were outfitted with 120 portable toilets, more than last year’s 80 available stalls, but with the size of crowd in attendance they were not enough to accommodate everyone. Long lines were reported, prompting concert-goers to use the woods behind the nearby D.L. Clark Building.

 

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