Monica displayed her fierce commitment to her fans' safety during a recent show at the Riverfront Music Festival in Detroit.
A troubling incident unfolded as she defended a woman in the audience who was allegedly being assaulted by a male concertgoer, earning the R&B singer widespread praise from concert-goers and festival organizers alike.
Video footage from the event on Saturday night vividly captured the moment the 'Boy Is Mine' singer made a bold leap from the stage to confront the alleged assailant. The audience erupted in approval as Monica, trailed by security personnel, stepped into the crowd to address the situation.
She warned the man, "You don't hit no f***in' lady like that," before he was swiftly removed from the premises.
Resuming the show, Monica offered a sincere apology to her fans, admitting, "That s*** triggered me. I seen him punch that lady in the face, I lost my f***in' temper. I apologize ya’ll. I apologize from the bottom of my heart."
She further confessed her heated response, saying, "I was gonna knock [his] a** out with this f***in’ mic."
Monica expanded on the altercation in a comment on The Shade Room’s Instagram account the following day, reports HuffPost.
She explained, "I was so triggered, I watched and she didn’t appear to even know him! It appeared to be about space during a packed concert! He punched her with all his strength! My intentions were to prevent her from being hit again and she wasn’t! I asked for help, it fell on deaf ears!"
Expressing her personal connection to the victim, she continued, "It was like seeing my mother or an aunt be assaulted!! This woman was 50+ I pray she’s ok!"
Festival spokesperson Andrus MacDonald lauded Monica for her actions in a statement to CBS News.
"We want to extend our heartfelt gratitude to Monica for her courage and decisive intervention during an unfortunate incident at our Festival," he shared. "Her actions demonstrated a commitment to the safety and respect of her fans, reinforcing our belief that she is not just an extraordinary talent, but an extraordinary individual as well."
MacDonald also voiced the organizers' regret that such a joyous event was apparently overshadowed by violence and ensured they are collaborating with law enforcement to bring the alleged perpetrator to justice.
Interestingly, this is not Monica's first instance of managing crowd trouble this year. During a concert in Washington, D.C., in April she advised unruly audience members to "calm that s*** down" or resolve their issues outside the venue.
