AUSTIN, Texas — A video shared on TikTok and Twitter claims people are being slipped fentanyl-laced drugs on Sixth Street bars in Downtown Austin during the first weekend of South by Southwest.
Austin police and Austin-Travis County EMS both say they have not seen evidence confirming the video, but are aware the video exists.
On Wednesday, ATCEMS tweeted its first response numbers since setting up checkpoints downtown for SXSW. The checkpoints allow responders to be near SXSW events from afternoon to early morning hours as people travel from one bar, club or event to another downtown.
"We were just slightly busier last night than we were in 2018 and 2019," ATCEMS Special Events Commander Kevin Parker said on Wednesday.
Parker could not speak specifically to the video except to acknowledge seeing it. However, ATCEMS staff say they have not seen out-of-the-ordinary calls.
"We really haven't seen anything that's out of the ordinary for what we would see on a normal weekend for SXSW or any other normal busy weekend," Parker said.
Parker added he and his staff are just happy SXSW is back in-person. He wants people to enjoy the festival while not worrying about safety.
"We just want to keep them safe, get them back to a healthy state where they can enjoy our city and keep enjoying their visit to the city," Parker said.
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