Fans were left infuriated following an incident in which a staff member on the outdoor stage at pop star Halsey's concert kicked a squirrel off the stage and into a pool of water gathered following a torrential downpour.
Unexpected storms soaked the concert venue, flooding the pit area in front of the stage and throwing the crowd into chaos.
In the video, captured by Twitter user @ammamariee, the squirrel leapt onto the edge of the stage in a seeming attempt to escape the water only to land directly into it after being repeatedly kicked by the crewmember.
See the video below.
\u201cThere\u2019s no way this halsey Maryland show is real like WHAT\u201d— amma \ud83c\udf08 (@amma \ud83c\udf08) 1654737021
The user who captured the incident with the squirrel said it all with the caption she included with her video. She wrote:
"There’s no way this Halsey Maryland show is real like WHAT."
It was perhaps the lowest point of what had already been a chaotic mess of a situation due to the severe weather that flooded the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland where Halsey's Love and Power Tour was set to play.
People in the crowd could be heard angrily yelling at the man who kicked the squirrel. One exclaimed "Poor baby!" while another said, "It’s a squirrel, pick him up."
The squirrel, which crowdmembers named "Chuck," eventually made it backstage and out of the elements, but not before being completely submerged in the floodwaters in front of the stage.
According to sources at the venue as well as Halsey themself, the rain and storms forecasted for that night in Columbia were not anticipated to be as strong and violent as they ended up being.
The crowd at the outdoor venue were soaked while they waited for Halsey to take the stage, and the flooding was so bad that the concert had to be cancelled due to safety issues.
The incident with the squirrel only made things worse, and people on social media are outraged by the incident.
\u201c@ammamariee why was the squirrel kicked i do not understand\u201d— amma \ud83c\udf08 (@amma \ud83c\udf08) 1654737021
\u201c@ammamariee no cause actually wtf this is not the time to be kicking a squirrel and letting it drown. its. afucking squirrel its not gonna hurt u\u201d— amma \ud83c\udf08 (@amma \ud83c\udf08) 1654737021
\u201c@ammamariee @halsey yeah uh maybe don\u2019t let these people work your shows anymore. We\u2019re not here for the animal abuse\u201d— amma \ud83c\udf08 (@amma \ud83c\udf08) 1654737021
\u201c@ammamariee He didn\u2019t have to kick the squirrel\u201d— amma \ud83c\udf08 (@amma \ud83c\udf08) 1654737021
\u201c@ammamariee That is not fucking ok\u201d— amma \ud83c\udf08 (@amma \ud83c\udf08) 1654737021
\u201c@ammamariee POOR THING WAS JUST TRYING TO MEET H \ud83d\ude2d\ud83d\ude2d\u201d— amma \ud83c\udf08 (@amma \ud83c\udf08) 1654737021
\u201c@ammamariee He didn\u2019t have to kick it smh\u201d— amma \ud83c\udf08 (@amma \ud83c\udf08) 1654737021
\u201c@ammamariee WHAT IS HAPPENING OMFG\u201d— amma \ud83c\udf08 (@amma \ud83c\udf08) 1654737021
\u201c@ammamariee Wtf they can\u2019t do that\u2026it just wanted to not drown\u2026like bro\u2026\u201d— amma \ud83c\udf08 (@amma \ud83c\udf08) 1654737021
\u201c@ammamariee y\u2019all that was literally halseys tour manager who kicked the squirrel.. NOT THE VENUE STAFF\ud83d\udc80\ud83d\udc80\u201d— amma \ud83c\udf08 (@amma \ud83c\udf08) 1654737021
It's unclear exactly who the man is, but he's believed to be a part of Halsey's crew. A spokesperson for the venue said that the man who kicked the squirrel was not an employee of the venue itself, and called the incident "upsetting."
@CalltoActivism/X
@cchaplin59/X
@mmpadellan/X
@IBleedOrange1/X
@realDonaldTrump/Truth Social