Morrissey fan who 'attacked' singer during San Diego concert was actually trying to hug him
Concert was abruptly halted after a man had to be dragged off-stage by security during a stage invasion
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Your support makes all the difference.A Morrissey fan who rushed the stage and appeared to "attack" the former Smiths fan was actually trying to hug him, it has emerged.
The over-enthusiastic concert-goer was filmed storming the stage after others attempted to reach out and touch Morrissey's hand. Video footage showed him colliding with Morrissey at speed after evading security, apparently striking him in the chest.
The incident occurred during the final song of Morrissey's concert at Copley Symphony Hall in San Diego, after which the fan was dragged off stage by security and the show was abruptly stopped.
A story reported by TMZ claimed Morrissey had been "attacked", however a statement issued by the singer's manager Peter Katsis disputes that.
"Nobody tried to punch M last night," the post on Morrissey's Facebook page read. "Morrissey's fans are not malicious. The fans were simply doing what they have been doing for almost 30 years. Trying anything they could to jump onstage and touch him, or hug him.
"The fan in question was certainly more aggressive in reaching out for him than most, so security had to do their job and subdue the fan. That's all it was. In the end no one was hurt, and no one was arrested."
One of the top comments on the Facebook post is by Carlos Rodriguez, who claims to be the man responsible for the incident.
"Thank you for clearing this up," he wrote. "I admit it looks bad but the momentum to get up did look as if it was aggressive. I hugged him, Moz laughed and I was head locked. End of story."
While some fans praised Rodriguez for coming forward, and for his "guts" in attempting the stunt in the first place, others were unimpressed.
"It's just a game to you. He stopped the f***ing concert because of you," one fan wrote. Another claimed: "You ruined the song for everyone, he was feeling that song and so was everyone else. Your childish shenanigans are not appreciated. Shows disrespect for Morrissey and his fans."
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