3 sexual assaults linked to Berkeley Greek Theatre concert
BERKELEY, Calif. (KTVU) - The Mad Decent music festival left a trail of sexual assaults after a stop in Berkeley over the weekend.
U.C. Berkeley Police say three women have reported being sexually assaulted while at the sold-out concert at the Greek Theatre Saturday night.
Two of the three are U.C. Berkeley students. All reported being assaulted by a stranger they met at the show.
"All the information is coming in now, and the investigators are trying to compile everything together, and meet with the survivors, " UCB Police Lt. Joey Williams told KTVU, "and so far we have no similarities other that they had all been to the concert."
Mad Decent is a record label, representing many artists in the electronic dance music, or EDM, genre. Its concert tour has crossed the U.S. this summer.
Berkeley's sold-out show featured seven artists over six hours, with more than 8,000 fans in attendance. One of the assailants is described as 21 years old, 5'7" tall, wearing a multi-colored tank top and shorts.
Another suspect, who met his victim in line at the porta potties, is described as white, 6' tall, with brown hair, blue eyes, and dressed in a floral short-sleeve shirt and shorts.
The third woman, who came forward after hearing about the others, has not given a description of her assailant yet.
"It's not uncommon at large events when there's heavy alcohol consumption, people who may not be used to drinking," cautioned Lt. Williams.
He notes whether it's a crowded concert, or fall football game, police see sexual assaults spike this time of year.
"They may go alone or with people they meet for the first time, drink heavily, and unaware how to care for themselves afterward, so it's not uncommon," Williams observed.
A student who worked as an usher on the show, described seeing people passed out and hallucinating.
"Everyone was on a different level, lots of drugs, but that's the culture at those rave concerts," the student who requested anonymity told KTVU.
"Sadly, I'm not surprised there were sexual assaults," she added, "because everyone's taking substances, and it's crowded and very loud. So it's really easier to get away with that. A lot of stuff goes unnoticed."
Police note for every sexual assault reported, an estimated seven others are not.
They encourage any additional victims from the event to come forward, to receive help that's available, and possibly help catch the perpetrator.
"I feel like Mad Decent was a place with a lot of good vibes, you're just enjoying your time," student Natalie Chow told KTVU.
Chow enjoyed the show, and doesn't believe the venue should be blamed for the assaults.
"I stayed with my friends the entire night," said Chow, "and it was a positive feeling for me, so I don't understand why something like that would happen."
The same festival has come to the Greek Theatre in year's past, without any incidents like this reported.
The tour has two more shows in Phoenix, then concludes in Los Angeles.
If you have any information about these incidents, police say to contact the University of California Police Department Criminal Investigations Bureau at (510) 642-0472 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. or (510) 642-6760 at all other times.