ONTD

Fishkill town police are looking for the KFEST concertgoer who on Sunday was plucked from the crowd by a security guard, directed toward headlining musician Akon and then hoisted by Akon on the singer’s shoulders and hurled back into the audience.

Detective. Lt. John Berlingieri of the Fishkill Police said talks have been held within the department regarding the possibility of questioning Akon about the incident, which occurred during Fishkill-based WSPK (104.7 FM)’s annual KFEST concert at Dutchess Stadium.

“We’re trying to identify that kid, just to find out whether or not we have any kind of criminal offense,” Berlingieri said. “We are looking to speak to him. No victim. No crime.”

WSPK General Manager Jason Finkelberg said, “Certainly, we’ll cooperate with anything they need from us.”

A message left with the publicity department of Akon’s record label, Universal Motown, was not returned.

During an April 12 concert in Trinidad, Akon was videotaped simulating sex with a girl invited onstage as part of his act. After the video was circulated widely on the Internet, it was revealed that she was 14.

As a result of that incident, Verizon pulled out as a sponsor of Akon’s recent tour with Gwen Stefani, with whom he appears on the hit song, “The Sweet Escape.” Akon, whose latest album “Konvicted” has sold more than 1 million copies in the United States, said in a statement at the time that he was sorry for the incident. But he also said he did not know the girl was underage.

Finkelberg said he and members of his staff discussed “the Akon issues, the history,” prior to KFEST.

“We did our due diligence,” Finkelberg said. “We talked to everyone we could find. We were comfortable with the show.”

Akon was one of several performers on the KFEST bill Sunday, which was the 10th year KFEST has been staged.

Finkelberg said he was at the concert but unaware of the Akon incident until contacted Sunday night by the Journal.

“I would have preferred he wouldn’t have done that,” Finkelberg said.

Video of the incident supplied to the Journal shows two Town of Fishkill police officers standing several feet away from where Akon threw the concertgoer. Neither officer appears to intervene in the incident from the moment the concertgoer was plucked from the crowd until he landed back in the crowd, after Akon tossed him. It is not clear what happened after the video ends.

Fishkill town board member Steve Ferguson is the deputy supervisor, the town board liaison to the police department and a former police officer in the Village of Fishkill. He said he was unaware of the incident prior to reading about it in Monday's Journal.

Ferguson said Fishkill police officers were not on duty at KFEST, but were instead hired as private security by the concert promoter and through their employment contract allowed to wear their uniforms and use patrol cars while working at events in the town.

But, Ferguson said, “Police are on duty 24 hours a day.”

Ferguson said he would review the video posted on www.poughkeepsiejournal.com and if necessary, investigate whether or not the officers responded appropriately.

“All I'm going to say is that there are 2-3 sides of every story,” he said. “I'm going to look into it.”

Clintondale resident Heather Idema attended KFEST Sunday with her husband and 10-year-old daughter, and supplied the video to the Journal. She said someone in the crowd threw something at Akon in between two songs, when the performer was about to start speaking about Africa. The object, Idema said, flew past Akon’s shoulder.

Idema said the object appeared to be about the size of a small chunk of wood. Idema said her daughter identified the object as a piece of a pretzel.

“It didn’t hit him, it went past him,” said Idema, who arrived at Dutchess Stadium at 8:30 a.m. Sunday for her daughter’s first concert.

Akon, according to Idema, said, “Oh wait a minute. What was that?”

According to Idema, Akon then said, “Come on everybody. point him out, point him out. Who is he?”

Idema said people pointed and a security guard wearing a yellow shirt asked Akon if he wanted the concertgoer brought to him on stage.

Idema said Akon, continuing to speak into his microphone, said, “So go get him. Bring him out to me.”

“When they brought him over, (Akon) took off his chain and his t-shirt,” Idema said, “and handed away the microphone.”

That’s when Akon picked up the concertgoer and hurled him back into a different section of the crowd, next to Idema.

“I never assumed someone was going to be thrown at us,” she said. “I was scared. I didn’t want my daughter to get hurt.”

Idema said Akon, “pretty much body-slammed him into the crowd. He just threw him down.”

Finkelberg said, “I don't think he intended malice on this guy. I think it was in the spirit of the show.”

Finkelberg said Akon was a pleasant presence at KFEST.

“He had another kid on stage dancing,” Finkelberg said. “He was taking pictures with kids in wheelchairs.”

Finkelberg added, “I think it’s kind of getting blown out of proportion.”

Dave Burke is the general manager of the Hudson Valley Renegades minor league baseball team. As general manager of the stadium’s primary tenant, Burke, through the team’s lease, oversees all events at Dutchess Stadium.

“K104 has always been an outstanding and reputable station in the area,” Burke said Monday.

Other than providing a venue for KFEST, Burke said, Dutchess Stadium did not provide security or play any other role in the staging of the concert.

Burke said he witnessed the incident, spoke to a representative of WSPK and was told it was being addressed.

“I was appalled,” he said.

The incident, Burke said, “would make me seriously want a say in the artists that are coming in” for future KFESTs. “... Something like this doesn't sit well with myself and management.”

Burke said he will hold discussions with K104 to see how similar incidents can be avoided in the future.


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Here's the video of the whole thing for those who didn't see it: