Aug. 04--One of the two women who died of apparent drug overdoses after attending a rave at the Fairplex in Pomona on Saturday was a UCLA student.
Tracy Nguyen, 18, who was about to enter her second year at UCLA with enough credits to be considered a junior, was majoring in pre-business economics, said Tod Tamberg, a UCLA spokesman.
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FOR THE RECORD
An earlier version of this post said Nguyen was about to enter her third year at UCLA. She was entering her second year at UCLA, with enough credits to be considered a junior.
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"We are deeply saddened by the tragic news of Tracy Nguyen's loss. Many students in our UCLA community are grieving her loss. She was a very active and involved student on campus with many friends," Tamberg said. "UCLA grief counselors are on standby for anyone who needs support."
Nguyen, who grew up in West Covina, was known as an avid dancer trained in hip hop with an extensive knowledge of the electronic music scene. One of her last tweets referred to the Hard Summer concert: "Biggest fear for hard summer,: dancing with a guy that can't keep up with me."
Friends and relatives across social media mourned her loss Monday.
"You were a role model to your siblings, an amazing daughter to your parents, and a kind friend to your peers. You were a proud and deserved Bruin who took pride in her work," wrote one. "You danced like no one was watching and when people were watching (usually in the thousands) you light up the stage."
Meanwhile, Supervisor Hilda Solis called on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to consider a temporary ban on raves on county property after the suspected overdose deaths at the concert held at the Los Angeles County fairgrounds.
Solis said she will ask the board Tuesday to explore the prohibition until a full investigation into the raves can be done.
While there have been fewer raves in Los Angeles since a series of drug-related problems at events at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the events continue in arenas outside the city where they still draw big crowds.
Nguyen and another woman, 19, whose name has not been released, were found unresponsive Saturday at the Fairplex in Pomona, which is managed by the nonprofit Los Angeles County Fair Assn. on land mostly owned by Los Angeles County government. The two women collapsed in separate incidents, authorities said.
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Los Angeles County Supervisors Michael D. Antonovich and Solis said Sunday that they will ask for a full probe to see if the event was properly managed to ensure the safety of patrons.
Solis, whose Eastside district includes Pomona, said she was very concerned about the deaths and is requesting a full investigation.
The annual two-day Hard Summer musical festival has grown in recent years. Last year, attendance was 40,000 per day; this year's event expanded to 65,000 a day. It is considered the biggest music festival of its kind in Los Angeles County. Hard has another event at the Fairplex on Sept. 10.
Last year, 19-year-old Emily Tran of Anaheim was rushed to a South El Monte hospital from the Hard Summer music festival held at Whittier Narrows Recreation Area, a Los Angeles County-managed park. Tran died from acute intoxication of Ecstasy, according to coroner's officials.
There has been much debate about whether public agencies should rent out space for raves, given the drug problems.
When raves were held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and Sports Arena, drug overdoses spiked so much that local emergency rooms were overwhelmed with severely ill attendees, and emergency room doctors recommended that such concerts end there. Los Angeles police warned that raves invite widespread Ecstasy use.
A Los Angeles Times investigation in 2013 found that at least 14 people who attended raves run by two major Los Angeles-based rave organizers, Insomniac Inc. and Go Ventures Inc., died from overdoses or in drug-related incidents since 2006.
Since then, five more have died in drug-related incidents, including a UC Irvine graduate, Nicholas Austin Tom, 24, of San Francisco, who collapsed at Insomniac's Electric Daisy Carnival at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in June.
A sixth person, John Hoang Dinh Vo, 22, a UC Irvine biology senior, died in March after collapsing at Insomniac's Beyond Wonderland rave at the San Manuel Amphitheater, a venue owned by the San Bernardino County government. The coroner has not yet released a cause of death for him.
Beverly Hills-based Live Nation Entertainment, one of the world's largest concert and ticketing conglomerates, purchased Los Angeles-based Hard Events in 2012.
Fairplex officials said they had prepared for the rave but did not provide specifics.
On Monday, Live Nation spokesman Victor Trevino said one woman suffered a cardiac arrest and the other died from a possible seizure.
"The cause of death is still under investigation," he said in a statement. "We extend our deepest sympathies to their families and friends."
Renee Hernandez, a Fairplex spokeswoman, said: "Any time we have a large event on our campus, we are aware of the risks. We have protocols in place and our event promoters supplement Fairplex medical and security staffing during highly popular events in consultation and coordination with community public safety leaders."
She added: "We offer our condolences to the family of these young women, and the Fairplex takes every measure to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience at our events."
Both women were stricken Saturday afternoon just minutes apart, just before 5 p.m., county fire inspector David Dantic said.
Nguyen was rushed to San Dimas Community Hospital and pronounced dead at 6:04 p.m., and the 19-year-old was sent to Pomona Valley Medical Center and declared dead at 8:40 p.m. Lt. Fred Corral, a coroner's official, called the deaths "apparent drug overdoses" and said autopsies will be conducted in the next few days.
During the two-day event, at least 45 people were arrested, the majority on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly, said Pomona police Lt. Hector Rodriguez.
The deaths stunned some ravegoers, though many said drugs were fairly common at the event.
Ecstasy, an illegal hallucinogen, enhances the effect of the beat-heavy music and pulsing lights of raves, and is tied to rave culture. The drug is commonly seen as harmless, but doctors say it is dangerous and can cause body temperatures to soar to 108 degrees, causing organ failure, coma and death.
"I am surprised. It is a little shocking when anyone dies. ... But people do drugs out here," said Jackie Diaz, 19, of Irvine.
"It is unfortunate that this kind of tragedy happens. People get carried away," added Oscar Mendez, 19. "People try to fit in and they don't know their limits."
Ernesto Lopez, 23, said the heat and crowded conditions, combined with drugs and alcohol, can take a physical toll.
"Some people can't handle it," he said. "You have to look out for people. In heat, some people pass out. With all those bodies, the heat and, whatever else, it hurts."
Hard Summer used to be hosted at Los Angeles State Historic Park near Chinatown, where attendees could take the Gold Line light rail-line and was close to downtown L.A.
In Pomona -- about 30 miles east of downtown L.A. and near the county border -- fans have to drive home almost by default, or take ride-share services that charge 4-1/2 times the normal fare as the festival lets out.
Electric Daisy Carnival at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, which is similar to Hard, is famous for its seas of overheated young bodies splayed out in the rare shady areas where the 110-degree temperature is slightly alleviated.
The American rave scene has expanded dramatically in recent years. U.S. rave festivals have grown in capacity by 50% since 2007, according to the dance music trade group IMS.
Organizers of electronic music festivals have generally said they try to make their events safe and don't want their attendees taking drugs. Those who attend should be on the lookout for anyone falling ill, they say.
Times staff writer Lauren Raab and August Brown contributed to this report.
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UPDATES
7:42 p.m.: This article was updated to correct Tracy Nguyen's college status.
11:28 a.m.: This article was updated to add L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis' plans to call for a temporary ban on raves on county property.
8:48 a.m.: This article was updated throughout to correct the style of Hard Summer.
Aug. 3, 6:58 a.m.: This article was updated with a comment from Live Nation.
7:43 p.m.: This article was updated throughout with additional details.
1:46 p.m.: This article was updated with the women's ages: One was 18, the other 19, according to the L.A. County coroner's office. Officials previously said both were 19.
1:10 p.m.: This article was updated with comments from some of those attending the festival.
11:28 a.m.: This article was updated with background about drug problems and concerts.
The first version of this article was published Aug. 2 at 10:51 a.m.
