Youth arrested after Toots injured in US
KINGSTON, Jamaica (CMC) – Police in the United States have arrested a 19-year-old man and charged him with aggravated assault after the lead singer of the Grammy Award winning reggae group – Toots and the Maytals – was injured during a performance over the weekend.
Police said that a bottle that was thrown on the stage while the group was performing at the Dominion Riverrock concert in Richmond, Virginia, hitting Frederick ‘Toots’ Hibbert in the head.
He was taken to hospital and treated. Police have not named the 19-year-old youth.
Toots and the Maytals, known for classics such as “Pressure Drop”, “Sweet and Dandy,” and “54-46” asked fans who may have evidence of the alleged crime to contact them.
“Any fans who were present and who saw anything, please send this page …with your contact info so our staff can reach out to you. Thank you,” Toots & the Maytals wrote on their Facebook page.
Organisers of the three-day festival, which combines sports, music and river life, said the concert was immediately stopped after Toots was hit, and spectators were asked to leave.
Despite the incident, festival organisers said Hibbert remained in good spirits and was disappointed the concert had to be ended early.