Astroworld Security Guard Pricked in Neck with Needle, Houston PD Says

UPDATE: A source connected to Astroworld tells TMZ, someone in the crowd went crazy and began injecting people with some sort of drug, which caused panic and then a surge.  The source says authorities are trying to determine if those who went into cardiac arrest were the ones injected. We’re told one of those who died is a 10-year-old. The source says it appears to be a targeted attack.  We have not confirmed this report, but the source is a key person involved in the festival.

Travis Scott‘s first night of his Astroworld concert in Houston turned into a horrific tragedy Friday night … leaving 8 people dead and more than 300 injured, and there were signs of trouble even before the concert began.

50,000 people filled the sold-out venue, when, at around 9 PM people began surging toward the stage. People started getting crushed and panic ensued. According to Houston Fire Chief Sam Pena, “People began to fall out, become unconscious and it created additional panic.”

At least 8 people died in the stampede. 11 people went into cardiac arrest and were rushed to the hospital. More than 300 fans went to the field hospital near the venue.

Someone working the festival tells TMZ … people were hopping on camera platforms, begging concert staff to end the show after the stampede erupted. They said, “Anything climbable was climbed.” They also say there were several thousand pairs of shoes left behind as people fled. When the concert shut down, they said a stage manager said the venue was now “a crime scene.”

The scene was chaotic … medical personnel could not handle all the injured. There is video showing some of them performing CPR.

One concertgoer named Madeline, a nurse, tells TMZ, she was there with her boyfriend when Travis took the stage.  During the first song, people started pushing toward the stage and she says she began to feel light-headed, telling us, “I passed out from the constant pressure on my chest and was one of the first people to be carried,” adding, “They threw me on top of other people and crowd surfed me to other people, who lifted me over a fence where security was waiting.”  She says “security guards were bringing bodies from that area to the VIP area,” as Travis kept performing, adding, “I see security carrying people who are not moving.” She says once she regained her senses, she began administering first aid to others.

A slew of ambulances rushed to the scene … which became direr every minute.

Before chaos erupted, Travis stopped the show several times during his 75-minute set … after noticing some of the fans in the front seemed in distress. He told security to make sure they weren’t hurt. At one point Travis asked for security to help a specific individual.

Shortly before the surge, Drake had performed with Travis … and there was no indication the crowd would try to rush the stage.

There were signs of trouble even before the show. A slew of fans knocked over barricades and rushed into the venue.

Kylie Jenner was on hand as for the festival as the chaos erupted. She was there with her and Travis’s daughter Stormi. As far as we know, they’re fine. They were not sitting near the crush.

A reunification center was set up at a nearby hotel … this so family members of concert-goers could reunite.

The Medical Examiner is in the process of determining the cause of death of the 8 people who died.

This was the first night of what was supposed to be a 3-day festival. The second night has already been canceled.