'Don't hit her': Witness talks about R&B star Monica jumping into concert crowd during show
DETROIT (FOX 2) - Cell phone video made headlines when R&B singer Monica, stopped her show mid-song and hopped off-stage, to confront a man in the audience she says hit a woman.
It happened at Hart Plaza’s Riverfront Music Festival Saturday in downtown Detroit.
"As soon as I pulled my phone out, I think he punched her," said Jordan Gee. "Then I heard Monica screaming 'Don’t hit her, don’t hit her,' and just yelling and stuff. I remember her jumping off stage and that was about it.
"That was pretty wild. I’m not going to lie."
Gee is a photographer who worked at Saturday’s concert. He was a few feet away from the fight between fans.
He shared his video which appears to show a man swing at a woman - but Gee also explained what led up to that moment.
"And I noticed that there was like a couple arguing with like a lady. I think they were arguing about spots because I think he might have jumped in front of her or something," he said. "I noticed they started arguing."
FOX 2: "What was the crowd like after she got back on stage and started the show over?"
"The crowd was good," he said. "Everybody just got back into the concert and started enjoying themselves."
Gee says while security stepped in, no one was escorted out of the concert.
On Sunday, Monica apologized on Twitter for her actions saying what she saw triggered her - it was her motivation to jump in and stop it.
In a statement, Riverfront Music Festival organizer Andrus McDonald said:
"We want to extend our heartfelt gratitude to Monica for her courage and decisive intervention during an unfortunate incident at our festival. Her actions demonstrated a commitment to the safety and respect of her fans, reinforcing our belief that she is not just an extraordinary talent, but an extraordinary individual as well."
What Monica did is being applauded by the non-profit, Haven, which works with victims of domestic violence.
Haven CEO Christine Kinal weighed in on the incident.
"She’s famous, also, a star at a show, intervening," Kinal said. "It’s rare that we see your next-door neighbor intervening, or a coworker intervene, but someone with her platform to be able to do something, like sends a message to get involved - stop being a bystander."
The festival organizer went on to say he condemns violence of any kind and the safety of the audience, artists and staff are of top priority and that he appreciates everyone’s patience in this situation.
