Event organizers were forced to cancel the Roots’ set at SXSW on Saturday night following a reported bomb threat. The show’s main sponsor, Bud Light, along with SXSW confirmed the cancellation on Twitter while apologizing to fans for the bad news.

Saturday’s cancellation was only the latest news related to bombings in the area; Austin was the site of three package explosions that occurred in a 10-day span, starting on March 2.

CNN reported that “the bombs killed a 39-year-old African-American man on March 2, killed a 17-year-old African-American male early Monday morning, and severely injured a 75-year-old Hispanic woman midday Monday.” Authorities told CNN they believed the explosions were related and possibly hate crimes.

In a now deleted tweet, Roots drummer Questlove said about the incident, “Welp. It’s 2018. Show cancelled. These are the times we now live in.” Though his statement was deleted, 9th Wonder–who was also backstage before the cancelled performance–spoke his piece on the matter, posting a photo of Trevor Ingram, the 26-year-old police arrested for issuing terroristic threats.</s>Two people died and 23 others were critically injured after a car ran through a crowd of people in Austin, TX, early Thursday morning, according to the Austin Police Department.

The incident occurred shortly after 12:40 AM CT near the downtown intersection of Red River Street and East 10th Street, just mere blocks away from the popular Mohawk music venue. The area in question had been blocked off to all vehicular traffic due to the current SXSW Music Festival, which began on Tuesday and ends on Saturday and draws thousands from around the world. Many of those hurt were presumably attendees of the event.

Police say the driver attempted to evade a DWI checkpoint when he turned the wrong way on Red River. The car, a grey Toyota, struck more than 20 pedestrians before turning onto East 11th and crashing into a moped and a van. One of the individuals riding the moped and a bicyclist were pronounced dead at the scene.

The suspect then jumped out of the car and attempted to flee on foot, but detained by police officers after being tased. He’s currently in custody and will be charged with two counts of capital murder and 23 counts of aggravated assault.

Update – 11:00am: In a press conference held Thursday morning, Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo said that of the 23 injured, two are in critical and three are in serious condition. 15 people have released from the hospital. SXSW is working to make changes to the venues and programming in the area surrounding last night’s events. However, all other programming will continue as previously scheduled. To cancel the events, according to Acevedo, would be “a victory for evil.”

Update – 7:00pm: The Austin Police Department has released the names of the suspect and victims. 21-year-old Rashad Charjuan Owens has been identified as the driver of the vehicle. According to the Austin American-Stateman, Owens had been arrested several times on misdemeanor charges in Fairbanks, Alaska, where he also currently has an active warrant out for him.

The bicyclist who was killed has been named as 35-year-old Steven Craenmehr. SPIN reports that he worked as creative director at MassiveMusic. The other death was 27-year-old Jamie Ranae West, an Austin resident who was riding on the back of a moped driven by Evan West, her husband. Evan is currently still in the hospital.

The names and ages of all those injured in the tragedy can be found on the Citizen Observer.

Organizers of SXSW have established SXSW Cares, a fund to assist the victims. To make a donation, head here.

After discussing with APD and city officials, the organizers decided that Mohawk and Cheer Up Charlie’s, two venues located at the scene of the crash, will reopen tonight at 7:00pm. SXSW founder Roland Swenson said in a statement, “After talking with the Austin Police Department, we have determined that the most prudent course of action is to move forward with the SXSW shows scheduled at the Mohawk and Cheer Up Charlie’s tonight. If we were to turn away potentially thousands of people who will arrive to see the shows, it would create a serious safety issue.”

James Moody, owner of Mohawk, also released a statement: “My staff and myself are broken hearted for not only the victims and families of this senseless tragedy but also for our beloved Red River and this entire community.”

If you have any further information, please call the Austin Police department at (512) 974-5186.</s>A man was arrested Saturday night in connection with a bomb threat during SXSW.

Trevor Ingram, 26, was picked up by Austin police after allegedly e-mailing a bomb threat to a venue hosting a SXSW concert with The Roots and Ludacris. Budlight decided to cancel the show due to safety concerns.

“Due to a security concern, we have made the hard decision to cancel tonight’s event,” a rep for Bud Light shared via the company’s Twitter account. “Your safety and the safety of all fans at SXSW is our most important priority.”

‘The Roots & Friends’ SXSW was set to feature Jessie Reyez, Rapsody, Dermont Kennedy and Tank and the Bangas as well as the aforementioned Ludacris. The location, Fair Market, has prided itself on being able to transform into a “dive bar” type feel for concert-attendees and badge holders.

The news of the bomb threat comes less than a week after two men were killed by package bombs in Austin. Ingram has been charged with making a terroristic threat, which is a third-degree felony.

This Is The 17-Year-Old Honor Roll Student Was Killed In Austin</s>Austin, Texas, police have arrested a man for emailing a bomb threat to the Fair Market in East Austin on Saturday evening, forcing the cancellation of a concert by The Roots at the South by Southwest festival. Police charged 26-year-old Trevor Weldon Ingram with making a terroristic threat, which is a third-degree felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

According to The Austin-American Statesman, a representative of the event promotion company Live Nation Music called the police to report the company had received a bomb threat via email at 4:23 p.m. Central time on Saturday. Officers checked the concert venue, but found nothing suspicious. Police took Ingram into custody at 11:15 p.m. Saturday night.

On Twitter, SXSW apologized to attendees for the inconvenience, writing, "Your safety and the safety of all fans at SXSW is our most important priority."

The Roots' drummer, Questlove, wrote on Twitter on Sunday that "no one is Mr. 'show must go on' than me. But we can't risk our lives if we are told there was a bomb threat."

According to The New York Times, Ludacris, Rapsody and SWV also had been also been scheduled to perform.

The bomb threat came at a time of heightened fear in Austin following three package bombs that exploded in East Austin earlier this month.

Anthony House, 39, died after a package bomb exploded on March 2. Another went off on March 12, critically wounding a 75-year-old woman, just hours after a bomb killed 17-year-old Draylen Mason and injured his mother when they opened a package in their kitchen. The cases remain unsolved.

The Austin Police Department, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives announced an increase in the reward for information leading to the arrest of the person or people behind the bombs, offering $100,000, in addition to a $15,000 reward being offered by the Texas governor's office.

In a statement on Saturday's bomb threat at SXSW, the Austin Police department wrote that "there are no indications of any broader security concern for any activities relating to this incident."</s>Man Arrested For Bomb Threat At SXSW Festival In Austin, Texas

Austin, Texas, police have arrested a man for emailing a bomb threat to the Fair Market in East Austin on Saturday evening, forcing the cancellation of a concert by The Roots at the South by Southwest festival. Police charged 26-year-old Trevor Weldon Ingram with making a terroristic threat, which is a third-degree felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

According to The Austin-American Statesman, a representative of the event promotion company Live Nation Music called the police to report the company had received a bomb threat via email at 4:23 p.m. Central time on Saturday. Officers checked the concert venue, but found nothing suspicious. Police took Ingram into custody at 11:15 p.m. Saturday night.

On Twitter, SXSW apologized to attendees for the inconvenience, writing, "Your safety and the safety of all fans at SXSW is our most important priority."

The Roots' drummer, Questlove, wrote on Twitter on Sunday that "no one is Mr. 'show must go on' than me. But we can't risk our lives if we are told there was a bomb threat."

According to The New York Times, Ludacris, Rapsody and SWV also had been also been scheduled to perform.

The bomb threat came at a time of heightened fear in Austin following three package bombs that exploded in East Austin earlier this month.

Anthony House, 39, died after a package bomb exploded on March 2. Another went off on March 12, critically wounding a 75-year-old woman, just hours after a bomb killed 17-year-old Draylen Mason and injured his mother when they opened a package in their kitchen. The cases remain unsolved.

The Austin Police Department, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives announced an increase in the reward for information leading to the arrest of the person or people behind the bombs, offering $100,000, in addition to a $15,000 reward being offered by the Texas governor's office.

In a statement on Saturday's bomb threat at SXSW, the Austin Police department wrote that "there are no indications of any broader security concern for any activities relating to this incident."</s>Man Arrested for Bomb Threat at SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas

Austin, Texas, police have arrested a man for emailing a bomb threat to the Fair Market in East Austin on Saturday evening, forcing the cancellation of a concert by The Roots at the South by Southwest festival. Police charged 26-year-old Trevor Weldon Ingram with making a terroristic threat, which is a third-degree felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

According to The Austin-American Statesman, a representative of the event promotion company Live Nation Music called the police to report the company had received a bomb threat via email at 4:23 p.m. Central time on Saturday. Officers checked the concert venue, but found nothing suspicious. Police took Ingram into custody at 11:15 p.m. Saturday night.

On Twitter, SXSW apologized to attendees for the inconvenience, writing, "Your safety and the safety of all fans at SXSW is our most important priority."

The Roots' drummer, Questlove, wrote on Twitter on Sunday that "no one is Mr. 'show must go on' than me. But we can't risk our lives if we are told there was a bomb threat."

According to The New York Times, Ludacris, Rapsody and SWV also had been also been scheduled to perform.

The bomb threat came at a time of heightened fear in Austin following three package bombs that exploded in East Austin earlier this month.

Anthony House, 39, died after a package bomb exploded on March 2. Another went off on March 12, critically wounding a 75-year-old woman, just hours after a bomb killed 17-year-old Draylen Mason and injured his mother when they opened a package in their kitchen. The cases remain unsolved.

The Austin Police Department, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives announced an increase in the reward for information leading to the arrest of the person or people behind the bombs, offering $100,000, in addition to a $15,000 reward being offered by the Texas governor's office.

In a statement on Saturday's bomb threat at SXSW, the Austin Police department wrote that "there are no indications of any broader security concern for any activities relating to this incident."</s>The Roots’ scheduled Saturday evening performance at the annual South By Southwest festival was cancelled minutes before they were expected to go on stage, owing to an emailed bomb threat to Live Nation Music. Per Variety, a man identified as Trevor Weldon Ingram emailed the entertainment company to report a bomb planted at the festival’s Fair Market venue. Austin Police proceeded to clear and search the area, ultimately concluding that “no threat was found,” but the concert’s sponsor, Bud Light, still cancelled the gig as a safety precaution.

https://t.co/NYmAcIKBv8 (thx @craftyiscool) no one is Mr “show must go on” than me. But we can’t risk our lives if we are told there was a bomb threat. I’m sure we will return to Austin ladies and gentlemen. Thanks for understanding. — T'Questlove (@questlove) March 18, 2018

Later in the evening, the police department was “able to identify and locate the suspect believed to be tied to this threat,” and Ingram was arrested and charged on third-degree felony charges of making a terroristic threat. SXSW has yet to indicate if the Roots — billed as “Roots and Friends” with Ludacris, Jessie Reyez, Rapsody, Dermot Kennedy, and Tank and the Bangas — will be rescheduling the gig.</s>The Tonight Show house band The Roots had to cancel their SXSW concert tonight at Austin’s Fair Market due to a bomb threat.

At first, local news sources were saying that the Grammy-winning band had to cancel their concert due to a “security concern.” The Austin Chronicle then reported that the abrupt cancelation was due to a bomb threat.

Roots drummer Questlove tweeted about the cancellation of the concert and then posted an Instagram story (which has since been deleted) with the caption: “Welp. It’s 2018. Show canceled. These are the times we now live in.” The official SXSW confirmed the cancelation while the Bud Light account tweeted, “Your safety and the safety of all fans at SXSW is our most important priority.”

This news comes shortly after the string of package explosions were reported in the residential areas of Austin. One of these bombings killed 17-year old Draylen Mason and while the other ended up wounding a 75-year old Hispanic woman.</s>AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas capital was on edge Monday after a spate of package bombings left two Austin residents dead and two others badly wounded.

The latest victim was a 75-year-old woman who was listed as critical but stable with "life threatening injuries" after a package she found outside her home exploded in her arms, Police Chief Brian Manley said Monday afternoon.

The woman was hurt just hours after a 17-year-old boy was killed and another woman was injured by another deadly delivery, Manley said.

Both cases bear "similarities" to the death of Stephan House, 39, who was killed March 2 by a package bomb that was delivered to his Austin home, Manley said.

"This again [is] the third in what we believe to be related incidents that have occurred over the past 10 days," Manley said. "They are not ringing doorbells. Residents are coming out of their homes and finding them on their doorsteps."

Manley said it was too soon to say whether the incidents were the work of a serial bomber.

"But there have been a pattern of incidents," he said. "These are powerful bombs."

So far, police haven't determined a motive, Manley said, but they aren't ruling out the possibility that they could be hate crimes. The most recent victim was Hispanic, and the other three victims were black.

"We are not ruling anything out," Manley said.

None of the dangerous packages was delivered by the U.S. Postal Service, officials said.

"If you have a package show at your home and you're not expecting one, call 911," Manley said. "The three incidences have all occurred at residences. It is important that people be aware."

That goes for the thousands of people attending South by Southwest, or SXSW, in Austin, although police said Monday afternoon that the explosions weren't believed to be related to the music, film and technology festival.

Many of the SXSW attendees interviewed by NBC News were unaware of what was happening.

Festival volunteer Kendra Shaw said she hadn't heard of the bombings or gotten any notifications from organizers.

"We don't want everyone to start freaking out," she said. "I feel like South by Southwest has done a better job over the years of handling those things."

Jessica Stratton, who was attending the festival, said she saw TV reports about the bombings. "It seemed to be a non-festival-related incident, so I instantly relaxed," she said.

SXSW ratcheted up security four years ago after a driver plowed through a barricade and mowed down festival-goers, killing four of them.

The three blasts happened in different parts of east Austin, and House's death was initially investigated as suspicious, Manley said. It's now officially a homicide, he said.

The FBI and investigators from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were assisting Austin police, said Special Agent Michelle Lee of the FBI's San Antonio office.

Abbruzzese reported from Austin. Siemaszko reported from New York City.</s>Philadelphia hip-hop legends The Roots canceled a Saturday night performance at Austin's annual South by Southwest (SXSW) festival due to a "security concern" that was later confirmed to have been a bomb threat.

Authorities in Austin arrested a 26-year-old man in connection with a threat that came prior to the start of the "Bud Light x The Roots & Friends Jam," scheduled for the final day of the week-long tech and culture festival.

Police said they received a report of a bomb threat from a Live Nation Music representative who had been warned of the alleged plot in an email. Trevor Weldon Ingram, now charged with a felony count of making terroristic threats, claimed there was a bomb at the festival's Fair Market venue.

Responding officers conducted a check of the area and determined that there were no threats present at the festival.

"Due to a security concern, we have made the difficult decision to cancel tonight’s Bud Light x The Roots SXSW Jam," an Anheuser-Busch representative said in a statement. "After working proactively with SXSW, the Austin Police Department, and other authorities, Bud Light believes this is the best course of action to ensure the safety of our guests, staff and artists, and appreciate your understanding. We are truly sorry to have to cancel the event, but we felt it was necessary to take all safety precautions." Reappearing for a third year, the show was set to include performances by Ludacris, Jessie Reyez, Rapsody, Dermot Kennedy and Tank and the Bangas. "The safety of all fans at SXSW is our most important priority," the statement from Anheuser-Busch continued. The Roots drummer and DJ Questlove reminded fans that he will still be in Austin for a separate performance Sunday afternoon.
A man is arrested in Austin, Texas, for threatening, via email, to bomb the SXSW festival.