Crime & Safety

UPDATED: Man Pulls Knife Outside Phoenix

Concert goer steals merchandise then pulls a knife as vendor chases him during hip hop concert

This story was updated at 4:25pm with new information and interview with Phoenix manager.

An 18-year-old Healdsburg man was arrested Monday night outside after he threatened someone with a knife, according to police.

Jeronimo Cervantes was arrested after he stole a belt buckle during a hip hop show and was chased by a vendor, according to police. While outside, he went to his car, where he got a knife and threatened to stab the vendor. A police officer was passing by and was able to apprehend Cervantes.

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Police say hip-hop concerts are sometimes a source of trouble at the theater because they draw older crowds, including people who carry weapons. In 2008, two young men who attended a concert at the Phoenix were chased and shot near the Keller Street Garage.

Management has said that they check for weapons at the door and do research on groups before booking them to make sure they don't promote drugs and violence in their music.

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Tom Gaffey, manager of the Phoenix, emphasized that Cervantes did not bring a knife into the show, but went back to his car to retrieve it.

"We do major pat downs and had 25 security officers on duty," Gaffery said. "We had the building covered, the sidewalk covered. Unfortunately, this is a security situation that comes up from time to time."

The hip-hop artist that was playing at the Phoenix Monday night was Tech N9ne, whose stage name is taken from Tech-9, a semi-automatic handgun. The artist, whose real name is Aaron Dontez Yates, sings about guns and violence, along with topics like racism, abortion and poverty. (Check out the YouTube video on the right, complete with lyrics.)

But Gaffey defended the pick of artist, describing the show as "dance-oriented, with high production value. When we have shows with people playing blues or pop stuff, we get 70 people who show up. Last night, we had 700. This show was sold out."

He also added that he realized that Tech N9ne sings about gangs and other controversial issues, but defended him as "someone who is real, who hangs out with the kids and who really cares."

"This kind of unfortunate event happens at the fair, at the high schools and nobody ever feels threatened. So why is it such a shock when it happens here?" 


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