SAN ANTONIO – A 25-year-old man has been arrested in connection with a brawl at a concert in the Freeman Coliseum, according to an arrest warrant.
Arthur Higa Jr. is charged with two counts of assault causing bodily injury for the fight that occurred in the pit area during a YFN Lucci concert, records indicate.
On Tuesday, Bexar County Sheriff’s deputies issued a warrant for Higa’s arrest. He is the first of several suspects to be identified for the alleged assault of two men at the concert.
Those two men assaulted were Karolina Rivera’s father and brother.
The fight escalated, and Rivera’s father was left unconscious after he was struck multiple times, according to the warrant.
“My dad was knocked unconscious, and my brother was still getting assaulted by the nine other men,” Rivera told KSAT.
Rivera’s brother was struck several times in his face and body after he attempted to intervene, the warrant states.
Higa was later identified as a suspect in a six-photograph lineup, court documents said.
One of the injured men was carried off the event floor in a stretcher, the Freeman Coliseum told KSAT.
The venue said they had armed BCSO deputies and unarmed private security working the event, but Rivera said she didn’t see security until after the fight ended.
“We follow all industry standards for staffing security, medical and ushering services at all of our events,” the general manager for the Freeman Coliseum wrote.
On Thursday, the Freeman Coliseum responded to KSAT’s requests for additional information about security personnel that night.
The venue said a total of 51 security members were present, including 13 BCSO deputies, two fire marshals and 36 general security staff. Sixteen security members were assigned to the General Admission pit areas.
Still, Rivera said there was no security personnel readily available in the pit where the fight happened.
“There was no security on the spot to help,” Rivera said. “No, no security. I mean, the only people on the floor of the concert that night were the ushers, like the ones that you scan your ticket with.”
Video footage captured by attendees showed the fight, but the Freeman Coliseum said their own security footage is unavailable due to “low light levels during concert performance.”
Rivera’s father and brother are recovering after the family took them to the hospital immediately after the assault.
The Rivera family is asking for everyone’s help in identifying the other people involved.
“We still have nine others that are out there and that haven’t been identified,” Rivera said.
Below, watch part of the video that deputies are using to locate those involved in the assault.
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