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Music

Spanish Promoter Sentenced to Four Years in Prison for Deaths at Steve Aoki Show

Five people died at Miguel Ángel Flores's 2012 event with the superstar DJ.
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia Commons

A Spanish court sentenced the promoter, Miguel Ángel Flores, to four years in prison yesterday for his involvement in the 2012 Steve Aoki show in Madrid that lead to the deaths of five people. The victims were killed by a stampede inside the venue caused by overcrowding, the judges ruled, who found the Madrid Arena was intentionally oversold by nearly 6,000 tickets. The judges also ruled that the event space lacked the necessary safety and security measures for accommodating a crowd of that size, reported Spanish newspaper El Mundo. Each of the victims were young women between the ages of 17 and 20, according to El País.

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Madrid's provincial court found Flores guilty of five counts of homicide resulting from failure to take reasonable precautions, as well as 29 counts of causing harm through negligence. Fourteen other defendants received sentences ranging from 30 months to three years, while three defendants including police chief Emilio Monteagudo and two doctors present that night were found not guilty. Families of the victims will receive around €350,000 or $391,966 USD as a result of the court's ruling, reports El País.

Several fire exits were closed the night of the concert, and one concertgoer told newspaper El País at the time that "there was a human bottleneck at the only exit, because all the others were closed, sealed." It is possible that the stampede occurred because a flare was lit inside the venue, triggering panic, reported Spin.

Although Flores is barred by his conviction from continuing to professionally host or organize events, El Mundo reported today that he said he plans to reopen his Madrid club Macumba on October 14.

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