Dennis RomeroThe L.A.-based organizers of a Dallas rave that saw the death of a 19-year-old patron have vowed to fight allegations of overcrowding and obstruction of justice.
Dallas city inspectors issued seven citations to the promoters after the Saturday night party that some described as chaotic but others said went smoothly. At the heart of the city's beef with L.A.'s Insomniac Events: Allegations that some of the venues at the Fair Park grounds were over capacity, that organizers failed to cut off the music when asked, and that they didn't come up with a legit count of “occupants.”
Here's what Insomniac said in response, in a statement forwarded to the Weekly:
Insomniac works closely with local public safety officals in each City where we operate to make our events safe and we greatly appreciate their involvement in the planning process. Nothing is more important to us than the safety of our fans. Given that the venue was permitted to hold 42,972 people and our event hosted 23,600 we did not violate any laws and plan to appeal these unwarranted claims.
Citations were accepted from the Fire Department in Dallas. The citations were unwarranted and Insomniac will challenge the validity of each in court.
EDC Dallas girls.; Credit: Kevin Todora
A Dallas spokesman said the crowd count was more like 21,000. But the crowds and the number of people being shipped to hospitals that night — as many as 30 — prompted authorities to “soft close” the party about midnight.
It was finally done at 1:30 a.m., even though the end time was scheduled for 2.
Electric Daisy Carnival, which pulled out of L.A.'s publicly owned Coliseum following last year's overdose-death of a 15-year-old raver and subsequent controversy over a public official there who also worked for Insomniac, heads to Las Vegas for a three day party starting Friday.
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