Following a brawl at a concert venue in North Park that ended with a young man being stabbed, some locals are blaming security at the site and are feeling uneasy about safety in their community.
The violence happened Wednesday night, while rapper XXXtentacion was performing on stage at the Observatory North Park on University Avenue.
A man rushed onto the stage and punched the rapper. A brawl ensued during which a 19-year-old man was stabbed, the San Diego Police Department (SDPD) said. The man is expected to survive.
After the brawl, nearly 800 concertgoers spilled into the streets of North Park.
Some residents told NBC 7 the chaos of that night left them fearing for their safety.
“[It] was a really scary experience,” Kevin Ring-Dowell said.
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"It sounded like there was a mob outside," resident Tony Ring-Dowell added. "There was a roar coming through our double pane windows.
Tony and Kevin live just one block from the Observatory North Park.
“Property value occurred to me last night. I'm most interested to see how the police respond. I'm crossing my fingers now,” Tony said, pondering what's to come of all this.
The venue's general manager Paris Landen said there were 48 security guards on staff during Wednesday night's concert, supported by off-duty SDPD officers.
She praised their response to the brawl.
“They pulled together; they did what they were supposed to do. They stayed on point,” Landen told NBC 7.
So far, there have been no changes to the concert schedule at the venue as a result of the incident.
The North Park Community Association previously shared its concerns about the potential for violent outbreaks at concerts when the Observatory North Park changed ownership.
After this incident, management at the venue said it would review its security strategy.
But many neighbors are already talking about getting city leadership involved.
Councilmember Chris Ward wrote a statement on the neighborhood app NextDoor, which read:
"The community cannot be expected to sacrifice basic standards of public health and safety, and we must critically reevaluate our approach to maintaining a workable balance that keeps North Park such a great place to live and visit."
On Friday, SDPD Lt. Scott Wahl told NBC 7 that police don't know who the suspects are in this case and "those involved in the fight have decided not to press charges.”
Since the victims don't want to prosecute, the case is now closed, Wahl said.
