Police in Riot Gear Use Tear Gas to Disperse Summer Jam Crowds

Last night, tens of thousands of fans descended upon New Jersey’s Metlife stadium for Hot 97′s annual Summer Jam, one of the largest hip-hop events of the year (this year’s headliners included Kendrick Lamar, Big Sean, Chris Brown, and Trey Songz). Unfortunately, according to a local ABC affiliate, the festive evening turned sour when the New Jersey State Police showed up in riot gear and began using pepper spray on an unspecified number of fans who were attempting to bypass the line and lobbing bottles at the police. One police officer was injured, and an unspecified number of arrests were made.

Here’s a statement from the organizers of Summer Jam:

Due to strong demand for tickets for Summer Jam 2015, the show sold out early this evening.

 

When fans realized tickets were not available at the box office, a small number of people created an unsafe environment, and for the safety of all guests, the New Jersey State Police were on scene to disperse the crowd.  The gates were closed at that time.  No further entry was permitted into the event.

 

For ticket holders whose tickets were not scanned, refunds will be offered at the point of purchase.

Here’s footage of last night’s events via Consequence of Sound:

People throwing glass bottles at police and rioting at MetLife stadium #summerjam pic.twitter.com/Ftza3OdDiO

— $. Deezy (@SarahDuvi) June 8, 2015

Police RIGHT NOW outside of Hot 97 Summer Jam…. pic.twitter.com/JKHGOZRCAq

— DJ Akademiks (@IamAkademiks) June 8, 2015

As tensions escalated outside, Summer Jam showcased a series of collaborations with an array of special guests. Meek Mill brought out his real-life partner Nicki Minaj and Future, Fabolous brought out Lil Kim, Mobb Depp, Busta Rhymes, Remy Ma, Raekwon, Method Man, Redman, Ma$e, the Lox, and more, and Ty Dolla $ign saved spots for Dej Loaf and Wiz Khalifa. 

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