Man stabbed at Country Thunder

The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office working the Country Thunder event in Florence received reports early Saturday of a verbal argument escalating between two groups.

Deputies arrived on scene about 5:30 a.m. and found a 36-year-old male with stab wounds to the upper back and rib cage. He was treated and airlifted to Scottsdale Healthcare Osborn where he underwent surgery and is in critical condition.

Witnesses said it began as a verbal argument. The suspect was located by Pinal County Sheriff’s deputies and arrested on suspicion for disorderly conduct and aggravated assault. The suspect is 20-year-old Austin Hansen. He has been booked into the Pinal County Adult Detention Center.

Brian Andrews, the producer of Country Thunder said, “Our primary concern is always the safety and experience of our patrons, music fans and the general public. We don’t feel the actions of one person should overshadow four amazing days and nights of events.”

“The festival has become a city of over 22,000 people with 5,100 individual campsites being occupied. It is unfortunate that incidents of this nature take place, however in an event of this size things happen that are outside of our control. We work closely with the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office as well as other law enforcement agencies to create the safest environment for our patrons,” Andrews said.

Sheriff Paul Babeu said, “Country Thunder has always been a great experience. The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office is out in force and there is plenty of security here. People should still feel safe coming here as this was an isolated incident.”