The Austin Police Department has arrested a man suspected of making a bomb threat that resulted in the cancellation of The Roots and Friends Jam at SXSW. Trevor Ingram, 26, was apprehended on Saturday night (March 17) and booked on charges of terroristic threat, a third-degree felony.
Police say that after their search, no threat was found in the area around the Fair Market venue where the event was scheduled to take place. Bud Light, which was hosting and sponsoing the show, chose to cancel it due to safety concerns.
Statement regarding the Bud Light Fair Market event attached. pic.twitter.com/LWsd8sgaYT
— Austin Texas (@austintexasgov) March 18, 2018
(The original version of this article was published on January 2, 2018 and can be found below.)
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As Austin’s annual South By Southwest (SXSW) music festival begins to wind down, it’s ending on a terrifying note.
On Saturday night (March 17), The Roots’ performance was cancelled following an alleged bomb threat. At the JW Marriott hotel in downtown Austin, where The Roots were staying, bomb-sniffing dogs were called in to thoroughly search the premises.
The Roots’ James Poyser told HipHopDX, “So crazy … God is good tho … we’re all safe.”
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A press statement obtained by DX reads, “Due to a security concern, we have made the difficult decision to cancel tonight’s Bud Light x The Roots SXSW Jam. After working proactively with SXSW, the Austin Police Department, and other authorities, Bud Light believes this is the best course of action to ensure the safety of our guests, staff and artists. We appreciate your understanding.
“We are truly sorry to have to cancel the event but we felt it was necessary to take all safety precautions.”
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The Roots were scheduled to perform alongside Ludacris, Dermot Kennedy, Jessie Reyez, Rapsody, Tank & the Bangas, Moon Taxi, and other surprise guests at the Bud Light x The Roots & Friends Jam. The event was being held at the Fair Market on E 5th Street.
Questlove, who frequently tends to his social media accounts, reportedly addressed the situation in a since-deleted tweet.
“Uh, welp can’t say much but for those in Austin waiting in line to see us tonight,” he wrote. “Tonight’s show has been cancelled. They’ll make official announcement but I’d rather save y’all the trouble of waiting in line.”
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One Twitter user responded to The Roots’ drummer, “Safety first.”
Safety first ??
— Sehr Schön (@Raq_quelle) March 18, 2018
Several attendees also took their concerns to Twitter.
Bomb threat at the Bud light event smh #sxsw
— Zaid Kirdsey⚡️ (@Jruffhouse) March 18, 2018
Stood in line for 2 hours @budlight#sxsw event. It got cancelled for a bomb threat ? What the hell?
— Kenny Minks (@kminks) March 18, 2018
Bomb threat apparent ?
— Ryan Trotter (@RtrotterSXSW) March 18, 2018
The roots show closed due to bomb threat! #sxsw
— … swag swag (@_TheAlmighty_) March 18, 2018
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