Spanish Promoter Sentenced to Four Years in Prison Over 2012 Steve Aoki Concert Stampede

With the hard-hitting bass beats and high-octane energy typically associated with electronic dance music, its no wonder the genre has developed a reputation for hardcore stage stunts and general madness at its live shows. And, as one of the most popular DJ’s from the scene, Steve Aoki is absolutely no stranger to this type of extreme behavior. From acrobatic crowd surfing to throwing cakes at concertgoers to riding rafts on the dance floor, Aoki has no problem upping the ante in terms of live show antics.

But with such craziness comes legal intervention, and the DJ is not a stranger to the legal system. According to Billboard, Aoki was taken to court for his extreme stage-diving which led to him essentially breaking one fan’s neck in 2012. This time, however, Aoki is not the one who is in trouble for danger at his live show.

Apparently, Steve Aoki’s Spanish promoter Miguel Ángel Flores has just been found guilty of five cases of negligent homicide and 20 counts of causing harm through negligence and sentenced to four years in prison for having organized an event in 2012 which led to the death of the five fans due to a stampede. Although Flores had permission to admit 10,620 fans at the Thriller Music Park event at Madrid Arena the fateful night, but evidence surfaced that he had sold almost 6,000 additional tickets, well overcrowding the event. When the arena doors opened, thousands of concertgoers began to rush in, causing the stampede which almost immediately killed Belén Langdon, who was 17 years old at the time (below the age limit of 18 and above).

Medical coverage was also insufficient for the sheer size of the venue, which led to two on-site deaths as well as slow aid for the three others who ended up passing away in a hospital. Other than Langdon, the victims included 18-year-old Rocío Oña, Cristina Arce, and Katia Esteban, and 20-year-old Maria Teresa Alonso.

Although the prosecution had asked for four years for each person who had died, the court ruled otherwise, sentencing Flores to only four years for all five deaths.

Flores has already announced his intention to appeal the sentence, as well as go ahead with re-opening “The Macumba,” a nightclub that served as the crown jewel to Flores’ nightlife empire.