A woman was assaulted at RÜFÜS DU SOL’s Rose Bowl concert in Pasadena, California, after a drink was accidentally spilled. The attack, captured on video, went viral and led to an arrest.
The incident, which occurred during the Australian electronic trio’s performance on August 16th, involved a brutal attack over an accidentally spilled drink that left one woman unconscious, according to Variety.
Julio Cesar Lopez Zavala, 23, was arrested by Pasadena police on Thursday in Hawthorne, California, after investigators identified him through video footage and numerous public tips. The arrest came days after the primary victim took to social media, sharing disturbing video of the assault and requesting help identifying her attacker.
The assault began around 8:30 pm, before RÜFÜS DU SOL took the stage. According to the victim’s account, shared through the popular EDM festival coverage account Festive Owl, the trouble started when a drink was accidentally spilled, lightly splashing the man seated in front of their group in Section 12-H.
“We apologised immediately, but he yelled that it was intentional and ran off, leaving his companion behind,” the victim explained in her social media post. “We apologised to her and thought it was over.”
However, the situation escalated dramatically when the man returned approximately 30 minutes later. “About 30 minutes later, he returned, screamed us, and threatened violence. I tried to calm the situation and apologised again — and the next thing I remember, I woke up in the medical tent an hour later and missed the entire show.”
The viral video footage captured the severity of the attack, showing the perpetrator brutally pummelling the woman in an aisle whilst another concert-goer attempted to intervene by grabbing his clothing. The shocking nature of the assault, combined with the clear visibility of the attacker’s face in the video, prompted widespread public outrage and assistance in identifying the suspect.
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Police investigation revealed that three victims were assaulted to varying degrees during the incident. “The investigation revealed that three victims were assaulted to varying degrees by a male suspect who reportedly became agitated after a drink was spilled,” stated Pasadena police. Multiple officers responded to the scene, closing down the tunnel nearest to the assault to allow emergency medical personnel access.
The primary victim, who was knocked unconscious and suffered significant bleeding, declined hospital transport at the scene. However, the trauma extended beyond physical injuries, with the victim describing the night as having “turned traumatic” when they had come “to see our favorite artist”.
Social media users quickly mobilised to identify the attacker once the video circulated online. The alleged perpetrator was reportedly employed locally as a nurse, though his Facebook account was scrubbed clean before the official arrest announcement.
RÜFÜS DU SOL addressed the incident on Monday, posting to their social media channels: “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.”
Formal charges against Zavala are pending review by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. The victim has indicated that both criminal charges and a civil lawsuit will be pursued against her attacker.
