Stampede Injures 11 at Atlanta MARTA Station After Beyoncé Concert

Following Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter concert in Atlanta, a panic erupted at the Vine City MARTA station triggered by a scream from a person startled by an insect. The scream caused a chain reaction among the crowd, who rushed down an escalator that then sped up and suddenly stopped, leading to a stampede. At least nine to eleven people were injured, with several requiring hospital treatment for cuts, scrapes, and one broken ankle. Witnesses described a chaotic scene where people fell over one another, and some had personal belongings lost or left behind in the frenzy. MARTA officials acknowledged the escalator had passed inspection days earlier but cited overcrowding and sudden movement as factors in the malfunction and pledged to improve crowd control and staffing for future events. Investigations by MARTA and the escalator manufacturer are ongoing to determine the exact cause of the escalator's failure.