PROVO, Utah (AP) - Thousands of people attended a Halloween party in Utah, days after organizers claimed the event was canceled, authorities said.
Utah County Sgt. Spencer Cannon said deputies learned about the large party Saturday near Utah Lake around 10 p.m. when a woman was taken to the hospital by ambulance after crowd surfing, falling and being knocked unconscious.
“Crowd tossing would probably be a better way to describe it. And the tossing side hadn’t communicated well with the receiving side and she ended up landing on her head and received a pretty serious laceration and was unconscious for at least a period of time,” he said.
FOX 13 reported the woman is out of the hospital and is doing OK.
The party was shut down shortly after because the event organizers did not have a permit to host a large-scale event, Cannon said, adding that no one was arrested but that the organizers could face criminal charges.
Cellphone videos of the event posted on social media tagged The Tribe Utah and Utah Tonight and showed thousands of people close together without masks, the Deseret News reported.
Cannon said about a dozen organizers through The Tribe Utah are allegedly responsible for the event.
Event volunteer Karson Jensen told FOX 13 that The Tribe Utah was not the host of the event, but instead the event was organized by several individuals who volunteered their time.
The Utah Tonight Instagram page told FOX 13 that they had nothing to do with the gathering and it was organized by a bunch of individuals.
The party took place a week after Utah Tonight announced it was canceling an event called “The Protest on Halloween” that both Utah Tonight and The Tribe Utah previously advertised.
Health officials have deemed Utah County to be in high transmission level of the coronavirus, as the state manages an increasing number of confirmed COVID-19 cases, meaning masks are required and gatherings have been limited to 10 people.
Utah Tonight argued that the guidelines are inconsistent and that the 18 to 25 age group was unfairly being singled out for spreading the virus.
“Data consistently shows that social gatherings are a main source of COVID-19 infections. It’s very difficult to give up time with family and friends - but Utahns who put others lives and health ahead of their own desire to maintain a lively social life, or even gather with extended family, are heroic,” Republican Gov. Gary Herbert’s office said in a statement on Sunday.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some - especially older adults and people with existing health problems - it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.