Rüfüs Du Sol issue statement as police launch investigation into assault on female concertgoer at Los Angeles show

Content warning: this article contains information relating to violent physical assault that some readers may find distressing.

Rüfüs Du Sol have issued a statement in the wake of a police investigation being launched into reports of a man physically assaulting a woman at their recent Los Angeles show.

The woman, named Shelby, said in a statement shared to Instagram, that her friend accidentally spilt a drink on a man at the Australian trio’s show at the Rose Bowl venue. She said the man later “punched me in the face, knocking me out and causing significant bleeding, while he continued attacking our group.”

In a separate clip, shared by festival news platform Festival Owl, a man can be seen knocking a woman to the ground before repeatedly punching her while other attendees attempted to pull him back.

In a statement released via their Instagram stories, Rüfüs Du Sol wrote: “Delivering moments to our fans to gather and celebrate safely is what we live for. We have been heart broken to hear of the act of violence that took place during the opening act on Saturday.”

“This type of behaviour is completely unacceptable anywhere, and the fact that this happened at one of our shows was devastating to learn about,” they continued.

“Local law enforcement are actively investigating the situation.”

In her statement, Shelby said: “We were at the concert to see our favorite artist, but the night turned traumatic. When we first got to our seats, a drink was accidentally spilled, lightly splashing the man in front of us. We apologized immediately, but he yelled that it was intentional and ran off, leaving his companion behind. We apologized to her and thought it was over. About 30 minutes later, he returned, screamed us, and threatened violence. I tried to calm the situation and apologized again — and the next thing I remember, I woke up in the medical tent an hour later and missed the entire show. This man PUNCHED ME IN THE FACE, Knocking me out and causing significant bleeding, while he continued attacking our group. Another friend tried to protect us, but the attacker fled into the crowd and hasn’t been found. A police report was filed. We are traumatized. If anyone knows this man or his companion, PLEASE reach out. He should be held accountable for this assault.”

In the comment section beneath a photo posted on the Rose Bowl’s Instagram page, other commenters who were at the event said there had been issues of overcrowding and a lack of crowd control that left them feeling unsafe.

One commenter wrote: “Security had no control over the crowd in the stands and at one point told me ‘I don’t get paid to tell you where your seat is.’ It was quite literally a free for all and was very scary. There were people blocking and standing on the stairs for the entirety of the show, tunnels were overfilled and all of it could’ve been avoided by proper planning and staffing.”

Another wrote: “This was the worst concert experience I have ever had, we are all lucky that no one died. No one should fear for their lives when trying to appreciate beautiful music.”

Witnesses to the incident are being encouraged to contact the Pasadena Police Department.

So far, no arrests have been made.