Houston Police Chief Warned Travis Scott About Crowd Energy Before Fatal Concert: Report

Houston Police Chief Troy Finner warned Travis Scott about his Astroworld Festival crowd, per a new report about the mass casualty event in Texas that claimed the lives of eight concertgoers.

In an article published Sunday and updated Monday, a source told the New York Times that Finner had a discussion with the “Sicko Mode” rapper in his trailer hours before Scott’s set on Friday.

Per the reported discussion, the official, who reportedly knows Scott personally, conveyed concerns about the crowd’s energy.

Two years earlier at a previous Astroworld Festival, officials had difficulty controlling the crowd — which prompted officials this year to add dozens more officers from the Houston Police Department and more private security hired by Live Nation, the concert organizer.

Despite this report, a spokeswoman for the Houston Police Department declined to comment on Chief Finner’s private conversations or the timeline of events, citing the pending investigation.

On Monday, sources connected to Scott told TMZ that neither the Chief nor the fire marshal told the rapper to stop the show at any point.

After Scott took the stage at 9 p.m., a surge of concertgoers stampeded toward the stage, resulting in eight deaths, ranging in age from 14 to 27, and hundreds of injuries.

Officials later identified the deceased as Mirza Baig, 27, Rodolfo Peña, 23, Madison Dubiski, 23, Franco Patiño, 21, Jacob Jurinke, 20, John Hilgert, 14, Axel Acosta Avila, 21, and Brianna Rodriguez, 16.

Though social media videos show Scott acknowledging, pausing, and then continuing his performance regarding the sight of an ambulance in the crowd, Scott contends he could not see the scope of the situation due to pyrotechnics, strobe lights, and other factors.

TMZ also reported Monday that Scott has offered to pay for the funeral costs of those that lost their lives and is partnering with BetterHelp — a network of mental health professionals — to offer mental health services for free to anyone who attended and was affected by the festival.

Despite this, Scott and Live Nation are facing multiple lawsuits stemming from the unfortunate events of that day.

In one particular lawsuit, 23-year-old concertgoer Kristian Paredes — who alleges to have been “severely injured” at the event — is suing Scott, concert organizers, and fellow rapper Drake for over $1 million.

According to the complaint obtained by Daily Mail, Drake “came on stage alongside Travis Scott and helped incite the crowd.”