Erika Goldring/WireImage
- Logs from the Houston Fire Department show how chaos unfolded before and after the deadly Astroworld crowd surge.
- As early as 9:20 a.m., before the gates opened for the November 5 concert, fans "breached" a checkpoint.
- "Venue fences damaged, no control of participants," a firefighter logged at 10:02 a.m.
Handwritten logs from the Houston Fire Department reveal how little control authorities and security personnel had of the crowd chaos throughout Travis Scott's doomed Astroworld music festival, even before the gates for the event opened.
The internal activity logs from Friday's concert at NRG Park in Houston detail the chaos before and after a crowd surge that left nine people dead and hundreds injured at the sold-out show, which an estimated 50,000 people attended.
According to the logs, which were obtained by a lawyer representing Astroworld victims and viewed by Insider, fans "breached" a secondary checkpoint at the venue at 9:20 a.m.
Three minutes later, a member of the Houston Fire Department logged that "participants have breached main gate" and "bypassed COVID testing checkpoint."
The Houston Police Department requested medical help for four individuals two minutes later, according to the logs.
Two minutes after the gates officially opened, at 10 a.m., an entry reading "Venue fences damaged, no control of participants" was logged.
At 10:05 a.m., the logs say, merchandise lines were "breached." At 10:19 a.m., a crowd was "trying to push down final barrier."
As the day progressed, the logs reflected that about 100 attendees had jumped a fence at 10:54 a.m., and that a group rushed a gate and dismantled barricades shortly after.
It was logged at 1:58 p.m. that a large crowd was "rushing VIP entrance."
By 3:54 p.m., a private medical company called ParaDocs, hired by Astroworld organizers, reported that 54 patients had been treated "since beginning of event," according to the logs.
The logs show how the rowdiness continued at the concert with reports of large crowds pushing down fences and "rushing" gates at the venue.
At 4:54 p.m. - hours before the deadly crowd surge - the logs say the Houston Police Department reported "dangerous crowd conditions at stage 2."
"This is when it all got real"
The Houston Police Department declared the concert to be a "mass casualty" event at 9:38 p.m. The logs show chaotic activity in the twenty minutes before the declaration.
At 9:11 p.m., a firefighter recorded that the "barricade around stage 2" was "compromised."
A "report of individual with crush injury/breathing difficulty" was logged at 9:18 p.m., according to the documents.
At 9:28 p.m., a firefighter logged simply, "This is when it all got real."
The Houston Police Department reported "multiple people trampled, passed out at front stage" at 9:30 p.m., a firefighter noted in the logs.
"HPD report of unconscious female in middle of crowd," the log entry for 9:32 p.m. states. There was a "report of multiple persons down in the crowd" a minute later.
At 9:35 p.m., the log states a Houston Fire Department radio operator "advised we have at least 5 911 calls related to unconscious persons in crowd."
Though Scott performed on stage for nearly 30 minutes after the "mass casualty" event was declared, his attorney claimed Friday that Scott and his crew were never informed of the declaration during the set.
"In fact, I think we have seen footage of police half an hour later, just walking about and not looking like it was a mass casualty event, but clearly the important thing is that never got to Travis, that never got to Travis' crew," Scott's lawyer, Edwin F. McPherson, told "Good Morning America."
Houston-based attorney Tony Buzbee, who is representing the family of 21-year-old Axel Acosta, who died, as well as more than 150 people who were injured, obtained the Astroworld activity logs. Insider has requested the logs from the Houston Fire Department, but did not immediately receive them Friday.
Buzbee said that the activity logs "demonstrate as early as 10 a.m. in the morning, security had lost control of the crowd."
"Things got progressively worse as the day progressed," Buzbee said in a statement, adding: "The organizers, promoters, security, medical staff, and performers had ample opportunity - literally hours of notice - to cancel the concert before anyone was injured. This is criminal."
The attorney said he plans to file a lawsuit Monday seeking more than $500 million for his clients.