Lawsuit filed by concertgoers after fatal stampede at Main Street Armory

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A group of 10 individuals have filed a lawsuit in state Supreme Court over injuries they suffered in a stampede of people after a show at the Main Street Armory on March 5, 2023.

At the end of the concert, the crowd mistook popping sounds for gunshots, setting off a stampede to exit the building at 900 E. Main St. Three people died.

The tragedy has led to several lawsuits.

The show featured two acts from Memphis — Gloria Hallelujah Woods, aka “Glorilla,” and Ricky Hampton, aka “Finesse2Tymes.”

RELATED: No criminal charges for Armory after deaths of 3 concert-goers

In addition to Woods and Hampton, the defendants in the most recent lawsuit filed Monday are: Main Street Armory LLC, Scott W. Donaldson, who owned the Armory on March 5, 2023, Gorilla Music LLC, Gorilla Music Touring Inc., Enterprise Security Training and Consulting Inc., which was hired to provide security at the show, the city of Rochester, the Rochester Fire Department, and the Rochester Police Department.

The plaintiffs, mostly from Rochester and Syracuse, are: Shortise Maeweather, Jerese Blue, Chellsie Blue-Myricks, Tamlyn Walker, Carolyn Butler, Precious Wingate, Shakqueen Nesmith, Lakishaorr, Semaj Days, and Latisha Hare.

They are represented by lawyers from Connors LLP in Buffalo and Ben Crump Law PLLC, in Tallahassee.

The plaintiffs are claiming negligence and negligent infliction of emotional distress.

RELATED: Main Street Armory sold after fatal crowd surge

The Main Street Armory’s maximum capacity is 5,000, but the crowd at the March 5, 2023, concert “was well over capacity,” the lawsuit claims.

“Towards the end of the concert, a loud ‘Pop Pop Pop’ rang across the overcrowded venue. Before they knew it, plaintiffs were caught in a stampede of concertgoers trying to escape. There was no way to reach the limited exits, and the inadequate security guards were no help,” according to the complaint.

The ‘Pop Pop Pop’ was likely confetti poppers, inexplicably shot off in a crowded, indoor venue after the performance was over,” according to the complaint.

“Concertgoers thought someone was shooting inside the venue; they started running for the exit. In an instant, the running turned to an uncontrolled stampede,” according to the suit.

The plaintiffs “were knocked to the floor, trampled, and thought they were going to die under the crush of bodies scrambling over them,” according to the suit.

“Plaintiffs survived, but only after incurring fractures, cuts and gashes, infections, sprains, bruises, concussions, and other serious injuries-to say nothing of the severe emotional distress and psychological trauma caused by the experience,” the suit claims.

The stampede was foreseeable, the suit claims.

“Defendants knew of other fatal crowd surges at concerts and events, including a 2021 concert featuring rapper Travis Scott, where 10 people died and countless others were injured,” according to the suit.

The venue was overcrowded, and the security was inadequate, the suit claims.

“The Main Street Armory’s ingress and egress options were unsafely restricted. At least two of the main doors in the front of the building were locked with a padlock. Emergency exits were also locked,” the suit claims.

“Security personnel working for defendant Enterprise Security did not have keys to the locked doors and had no way to open them,” according to the suit.

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