Irvine Hip-Hop Concert Shut Down After Fights Erupt

An all-day Sunday concert at Verizon Amphitheater in Irvine was cut short by police as audience members broke into fistfights and threw chairs and trash cans at one another, police said.

No major injuries were reported by authorities. It is unknown if arrests were made.

The Beat 100.3 Summer Jam had been underway for several hours when the crowd became violent, ignoring hip-hop icon LL Cool J’s call for fans to settle down. The show was stopped in the middle of his performance, after 7 p.m.

Witnesses said the violence started after security officers tried to escort out unruly fans. Headliners Nelly and Ja Rule and his Murder Inc. had yet to take the stage.

“It was really scary,” said Jules Cole, 19, of Toluca Lake. “People were hiding and crying. Everybody started running outside.”

While many fans were able to exit without incident, some were pushed around in the confusion.

“We’ve had a peaceful event every year for the past nine years,” Nancy Leichter, general manager of KKBT-FM (100.3), said in a statement. “It is sad that a few unruly people were intent on ruining the day for 16,000 people who wanted to enjoy the event.”