Eight People Stabbed At R. Kelly Concert In Miami

Jet, July 19, 1999

Eight people were stabbed at a recent concert by Grammy Award-winning singer R. Kelly after a fight broke out during intermission near a concession stand at Miami Arena in Miami, FL.

The injured, all men ranging in age from 18 to 29, were taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital, Miami police said.

One victim was seriously injured; some were listed in stable condition, and others were treated and released, police said.

Police still don't know what sparked the violence.

One arena concessionaire said the fight started when one man became jealous after another man spoke to his date.

Victim Tony Cobb told the Sun-Sentinel newspaper, "It all happened so fast. I just know there was a big fight with this group of guys I was with."

It was unclear how the 2-inch blade knife got into Miami Arena. Security guards were equipped with metal detectors and ordered to check everyone at the door for weapons, said Melissa Fronstin, director of sales and marketing for the Miami Arena.

"Someone slipped through the cracks," Fronstin told the Sun-Sentinel. "It may have been a war of words."

The brawl grew to more than 50 people before it was stopped.