Man arrested at Doja Cat concert over bomb threat
The suspect was apparently trying to jump the queue
By Joe Goggins
A man has been arrested after making a bomb threat at a Doja Cat concert in the US.
The rapper played a free concert in Indianapolis, Indiana on Saturday (January 8), with fans waiting in line for more than 12 hours. At around 5pm local time, the man told those around him that he was carrying explosives in his backpack, in what the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department told the Indianapolis Star was an apparent attempt to advance his position in the queue.
The IMPB confirmed that no explosives were found in the backpack or anywhere else on site, and that the man remained in custody. The concert, which was held at Monument Circle in downtown Indianapolis, went ahead as planned after a slight delay, with police clearing the area for 20 minutes. The suspect had unrelated outstanding arrest warrants. “A fan wanted to advance in line so he exercised very poor judgement and told those around him in line he had a bomb in his backpack,” Deputy Chief Joshua Barker told the Star. “Someone did the right thing and alerted IMPD. The backpack was clean.”
It was the first of three shows in the ‘AT&T Playoff Playlist Live!’ Series held to mark the College Football Playoff National Championship game in the city, which sees the Alabama Crimson Tide face off against the Georgia Bulldogs on Monday night (January 10).
Doja Cat performed with support from AJR and Pink Sweats on Saturday (January 8), with an appearance by Twenty One Pilots on Sunday (January 9). Country-pop singer Sam Hunt will headline on Monday (January 10). Fans queued overnight for the Doja Cat show, enduring ice and rain with temperatures plummeting to -9C; the championship game is traditionally held in cities with milder climates.
The concert itself did not pass off without incident, with a fight breaking out in the crowd during the rapper’s 90-minute set over a pair of drumsticks that the ‘Juicy’ star threw into the audience. “Listen, no fighting. I don’t want to see that, I don’t want to see that at all,” said the rapper, per the BBC. “I care about you, and it’s way too cold out here for that.”