A metro Atlanta entertainment venue turned violent Saturday evening shortly after the music stopped.
Cobb County police said two men were stabbed inside the Coca-Cola Roxy following the conclusion of a concert, part of the U.S. tour by Mexican singer Edén Muñoz. A 40-year-old suspect was arrested early Sunday and faces charges of aggravated assault.
“In the wake of a live concert performance, two individuals fell victim to multiple stab wounds,” police said in a news release.
That evening, officers within The Battery district responded to the 4,000-seat venue and found the victims with several stab wounds. The concert was scheduled to end at 11:30 p.m.
First responders and bystanders provided initial care to the victims, who were taken to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital. They were identified as two men, ages 31 and 27, both of California. On Monday morning, police did not provide an update on their injuries.
Following an investigation, police identified Oskar Tapia Gonzalez of Cartersville as the suspect and then located him about a mile away at a Shell gas station on Windy Hill Road. He was taken into custody and booked into the Cobb jail.
The Atlanta concert was the sixth of 14 stops on Muñoz’s Consejos Gratis tour that runs until November. The singer is one of the most “exciting performers in regional Mexican music right now,” according to the website for Live Nation, which produces the tour. His song “Chale” has been viewed nearly 400 million times on YouTube.
It was the second act of violence in less than a year at the Roxy, which officially opened in the Cumberland area in April 2017. Last October, a gunman opened fire from a vehicle into the front of the theater, leaving several windows shattered, according to Channel 2 Action News. Police said no one was injured.
The 53,000-square-foot site is in The Battery entertainment district next to Truist Park, home of the Atlanta Braves. The Roxy is named after the original theater, which was in Buckhead until 2008 (now the Buckhead Theatre).
Police said an investigation into the stabbings remains active. Anyone with more information is asked to contact Cobb police at 770-499-4111.
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