Photo: Austin Police Department.
Tyler, the Creator, is no stranger to controversy, and now he's back in the headlines. The Odd Future rapper was arrested yesterday at Texas's Austin-Bergstrom Airport for allegedly "inciting a riot" at this week's SXSW festival. According to the arrest affidavit, the incident occurred Thursday at Scoot Inn. Tyler reportedly encouraged a crowd of people outside the venue, which was already over capacity, to rush past security: "All y'all outside the gates, y'all push through!" As you might suspect, things weren't exactly copacetic. A bartender was allegedly punched while trying to shield some girls who had been pushed to the floor during the chaos. All in all, an ugly scene.
Tyler has been released on a $25,000 bond but still faces the riot charges, which is a class A misdemeanor in the state of Texas. If he is convicted, the penalties aren't pretty: up to a year in jail and a $4,000 fine. For his part, the rapper seems nonplussed by the recent legal drama, already performing in Dallas. However, he's less than thrilled that social media followers are ignorantly confusing his incident with the tragic car accident that occurred earlier in the week. He took to Twitter to clear things up:
Dear You, That Tragedy That Happened Has Absolutly NOTHING To Do With The Show At Thrasher At A Different Location A Day Later - T
— Tyler, The Creator (@fucktyler) March 16, 2014