Photographer Claims He was Assualted While Covering a Concert
A photographer that was brutally thrown out of a metal concert while taking photos has claimed he was assaulted by security staff.
The incident happened during Heartsick’s set at The Junction in Lansing, Michigan on Friday, April 28 where Dustin Noell claims he was grabbed by the neck and slammed to the ground for no reason.
“I don’t understand, I was the smallest guy in that whole section,” he tells WLNS.
Noell was filming video on his phone which captured the moment he was suddenly grabbed by security.
“The next thing I know he grabbed me by the neck and threw me to the floor,” he says. “I would understand if I was unruly or doing something wrong but I was literally just standing there so I was upset, you know. I couldn’t figure out what I did wrong.”
Noell attended the hospital after paramedics recommended he attend the emergency room to get his swollen ankle checked out.
“Once in the hospital, they did X-rays on my knee and ankle, CT scan, a CT scan with contrast and they made me wear a neck brace,” Noell writes on Facebook.
“I have a sprained ankle, bruising on my muscles in my chest and back, a faint black eye, lacerations, and bruising from my ankle all the way up to my knee.”
‘Sometimes, Bad Things Happen’
After Noell’s alleged assault, gig attendees took to the internet to leave the venue one-star reviews because of what happened.
“He was being carried out by his neck upside down,” says witness Eric Britt. “From what I gather he got too close to the security guard involved with his phone…No one should be assaulted coming to a show. I was shocked.”
However, the venue’s manager Tyler Mainville has not accepted responsibility for the incident. Noell even claims that the venue accused him of provoking the security guard.
“It’s been taken out of context to a certain degree,” the venue’s manager Manville tells WLNS. “Roomful of people who are moshing and that particular guard was involved with trying to deal with an injured person and immediately previous to that expectations of safety were a lot higher and you know, sometimes bad things happen.”
The venue says it plans to file defamation lawsuits against all the negative reviews, as does Noell for his injuries.
“I want to make sure that people feel safe when they go to shows,” Noell adds.
However, the venue has said that the guard involved in the incident is on leave as they investigate.
PetaPixel reached out to Noell and The Junction, both parties did not respond as of publication.
Image credits: Header photo licensed via Depositphotos.
