MONTREAL -- More than 10,000 angry fans overturned a police car and set fires inside Montreal's Olympic stadium in a riot sparked when heavy metal group Guns N' Roses canceled a concert in mid-show, police said Sunday.
At least eight police officers were injured in the Saturday night melee and 12 people were arrested in the second riot linked to band. Lead singer Axl Rose has been charged with sparking a 1991 riot in St. Louis.
Saturday's disturbance began when Rose, who has recently canceled other shows claiming a sore throat, stopped the show after five songs and told the crowd to get their money back.
More than 10,000 of the 50,000 people in the stadium began to riot, setting fire to seats and other objects, a Montreal police spokesman said. He said some used their clothing to set the fires.
Streaming outside the stadium, the fans clashed with about 300 police equipped with riot gear.
A police cruiser was overturned and 30 police cars were damaged, a police spokesman said. He said eight police officers sustained minor injuries and there were 12 arrests.
Earlier in the show, James Hatfield, singer-guitarist for opening act Metallica, was hurt when a visual effect that had been supposed to explode in a flash of light malfunctioned and blew up incorrectly on stage. The nature and extent of Hatfield's injuries were not known.
The tumult at the Montreal stadium was the second such disturbance linked to Guns N' Roses. Axl Rose was arrested earlier this summer in New York on a warrant charging him with inciting a riot at a concert in St. Louis. At the July 2, 1991, concert, Rose dove into the audience to snatch away a camera from a fan. He and the band then stalked off the stage. An estimated 3,000 fans rioted. Sixty people were injured and the theater sustained $200,000 in damage.
A Guns N' Roses show scheduled for Sunday night in Toronto was called off.
