RICHMOND, Va. β Nearly a week after a Turnstile concert on Brown's Island, fans are demanding answers from the Richmond Sheriff's Office about an incident where pepper spray was used on a concertgoer.
Videos circulating online show someone appearing to spray a concertgoer in the face with pepper spray as they tried to get on stage during Turnstile's encore performance. The incident has left attendees frustrated with the lack of response from authorities.
Colin Buck witnessed the incident and experienced physical effects from the pepper spray.
"Someone needs to say something," Buck said.
Buck described the incident as unnecessary force against a fan engaging in typical behavior at hardcore shows.
"He just like, blasted him and then walked away. That's not cool. You can't do that," Buck said.
Buck noted the band had previously encouraged stage participation.
"He watched everything happen. He watched the band help people on stage. He saw that it was relatively accepted, like, Hey, if you want, you can, and yet he still thought to spray a kid getting on stage," Buck said.
Buck says going on stage is common at hardcore shows and something fans expect.
"It was uncalled for in quite a big way," Buck said.
"You're at a hardcore show. Hardcore kids do hardcore kid things, was this really not expected, you know?" Buck said.
Buck experienced physical effects when the pepper spray dispersed through the crowd.
"When I got to the close side is when it started to hit me, and I started coughing. [Thinking] don't throw up. My arm started burning. My eyes are irritated a lot. That wasn't fun at all," Buck said.
CBS 6 reached out to Sheriff Irving multiple times over the past week seeking clarification about what happened and who administered the spray. Richmond Police directed inquiries to the Sheriff's Office, saying they handled security for the event.
As of Wednesday, Irving says the investigation continues. The band Turnstile has not commented on the incident.
Buck says he will continue speaking out until the Sheriff's Office provides answers about the pepper spray incident.
"You see the videos of it, you know, you see the videos. It's like, what is there to look into?" Buck said.
"Guy blasts kid in the face with pepper spray. That's, it's pretty cut and dry," Buck said. "At the very least, dude, you know, apology, say any, at the very least a word, any kind of statement at all. You know, it's a little bogus that they can just do that, and then it'll get talked about for like, three days. And then that's that."
This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.
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