Police arrest teen for throwing glass bottle at Riverrock performer

RICHMOND, VA (WWBT) - Brand new developments have just come in on the teen accused of chucking a glass liquor bottle at a Riverrock performer.

The suspect's name is William Lewis, a 19-year-old from Henrico. Now, he's facing a felony charge of aggravated assault, on top of a public intoxication charge. NBC12 got our hands on some video that appears to show a bottle striking the singer.

Thousands of people turned out despite the weather to hear Grammy-nominated reggae group Toots and the Maytals bring their Jamaican flare to the river city. An hour into their set, a different kind of thunder rolled in.

Police say 19-year-old William Lewis hurled a glass liquor bottle at lead singer Frederick Hibbert, also known as "Toots".

"Security pretty much kicks into gear immediately when something like this happens," said Venture Richmond Deputy Director Lisa Sims.

Police say "Toots" was rushed to the hospital. The gash was so deep he needed stitches on his forehead.  He was released early Sunday morning according to Sims.

"He said he was in very high spirits," said Sims. "He was tired. It was a really long day, but he was actually sorry he had to cancel his concert."

Sims says private security teams check the bags of every person who comes to the event. She tells NBC12 that liquor bottle may have been stolen from a vendor. An inventory check showed a vodka bottle was missing, the same type of bottle that was thrown at "Toots."

"You know someone just decided they were going to throw something and no one certainly anticipated it," Sims noted. "We've not had anything like this happen."

"I hope this doesn't distract from how great of an event this is for everyone to enjoy," said Katie Bowen. "At the end of the day, we're all out here to have a good time and hopefully in the future everyone in the community just comes out and respects that.

The lead singer is going to be okay. The band's website says they're supposed to be performing in New York. NBC12 tried reaching out to the band's manager for comment but have not heard back as of Sunday evening.

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