Reward offered for arrests in Rock the South assault case
Published 12:45 pm Monday, July 24, 2023
- Cullman Police Department
Rock the South festival organizers are offering a $10,000 reward and lifetime event tickets for information leading to the arrest of suspects involved in a Sunday assault that was caught on video at this year’s Cullman-area concert.
The incident sent 18-year-old Rock the South attendee Reid Watts to the hospital, unconscious in the immediate aftermath and suffering multiple injuries, including “a fractured nose, concussion, stitches, knots the size of softballs on the back of his head,” according to a social media post from Kaci Howard, his mother.
Cullman Police said on Facebook Monday that its investigation into the incident has narrowed to include only eyewitness accounts and those who may have video depicting what transpired. Video shared separately on the platform shows multiple people beating the victim as he lay defenseless on the ground.
“There were several grown men (30s-40s) who jumped on him and beat him unconscious while his girlfriend stood there screaming and crying for help,” Howard’s post stated. “They continued beating him while he was on the ground until security finally got to them and got Reid and Katie out of there and to an ambulance.”
“From what is shown on the video, we have had an outpouring of people who have either said that they know who the suspects are or think that they do, and we’re currently in the process of combing through all of that,” Cullman Police Chief David Nassetta told The Times on Monday, noting that law enforcement had established a 911 call center at the venue in order to more rapidly dispatch emergency calls made from the site.
“We now have a pretty good idea of who we think did it, and will release more information once the investigation has proceeded further,” he said.
Overall arrest totals at this year’s Rock the South reflect typical numbers for an event of its size, Nassetta noted. Among an estimated daily attendance of 35,000 people, 7 were arrested on Thursday; 8 on Friday, and 10 on Saturday. The majority of the arrests, said Nassetta, were for infractions including disorderly conduct and public intoxication.
Anyone with an eyewitness account is asked to call CPD at 256-734-1434.