During a concert at the Colorado State Fair in Pueblo, a man allegedly struck a woman, prompting country music star Scotty McCreery to halt his performance and call out the suspected assailant. The incident, which took place on Saturday, led authorities to consider criminal charges, officials said Thursday.
In a video from the event, McCreery points into the crowd as his band stops playing. “Right here, right here,” he says, directing attention to the incident. “That’s a lady you just hit, sir. Absolutely not. Who just hit the lady?” The North Carolina singer, who rose to fame on “American Idol,” called for police and security and checked on the woman’s well-being.
The crowd’s reaction was immediate, with booing and chanting heard as officials responded to the scene. McCreery, 30, urged concertgoers to help identify the responsible party. He condemned the act, stating that hitting a woman was the “definition of a coward” and demanded the alleged assailant “get the heck out of here” before resuming the performance.
Olga Robak of the Colorado Agriculture Department reported that paramedics attended to the woman at the scene, but she declined transport to a hospital. The man in question was detained temporarily but not arrested, with potential criminal charges being referred to prosecutors, according to Robak.
