Singer Ava Max was hit by an aggressive fan during her performance in Los Angeles on Tuesday, the latest in what appears to be a worrying trend at live concerts in the United States.
Widespread video footage shows an unidentified man running onto the stage at the Fonda Theater and slapping him across the forehead before being dragged away by security.
The pop star appeared to be momentarily caught off guard by the blow, but resumed dancing as her band continued to play.
Max, who is currently on tour in support of his latest album, “Diamonds & Dancefloors,” tweeted about the incident early Wednesday.
“He slapped me so hard it scratched the inside of my eye. He’s never coming to a show again,” she wrote.
Concert attendee Cory Larrabee was among those to share his take on the situation, noting that Max “couldn’t even open his eyes” at first after the slap.
“The guy rushed the stage at the end right when the last song ended,” Larrabee he wrote on Twitter. “The security guard tackled him and literally threw him down the stairs. Wild!!! It happened so fast.”
When contacted by HuffPost, a representative for Max declined further comment.
The stage rush took place just two days after singer Bebe Rexha was hit in the head by a cell phone thrown from the audience while performing at The Rooftop at Pier 17, a concert hall in New York.
Police arrested Nicolas Malvagna, of New Jersey, at the scene on Sunday and charged him with assault and harassment.
The 27-year-old and his lawyer later offered conflicting reasons for his actions.
“I was trying to see if I could hit her with the phone at the end of the show because it would be funny,” Malvagna said, according to CBS New York. Speaking to HuffPost, however, attorney Todd Spodek said his client never intended to harm Rexha, adding: “As a fan, Mr. Malvagna’s only intention was for Ms. Rexha to take pictures with his phone and return it as a souvenir.”
On Monday, Rexha assured fans via Instagram that she was on the mend, sharing a photo of a black eye along with visible dots directly above her eyebrow.
“I’m fine,” she wrote in the caption, playfully alluding to her single of the same name.
