A CONCERT security guard has quit on the spot after getting blasted by his boss for helping a fan in a wheelchair get a better seat.
Tony Demaree said he had no clue he was breaking a rule when he assisted the concertgoer at a packed Jelly Roll show in North Dakota.
He was working security for the event on July 20 in Minot, about two hours north of Bismarck, when the drama unfolded.
Around 18,000 fans had gathered to watch the Liar singer, and Demaree was tasked with maintaining a barrier between the stage and the crowd.
He said he had to “keep that area clean and clear of all people so that the security people could get back and forth,” he told NBC affiliate KMOT.
During the performance, Demaree mentioned that a colleague informed him they no longer needed to keep fans behind the barricades, prompting him to head towards the rear of the event.
Once he got away from the front, he noticed a fan who was in a motorized wheelchair and helped him to the front.
Demaree said he figured if they no longer needed to divide fans from the stage, it wouldn’t be an issue to help.
He said that he made sure there was still room for first responders to get to the front if needed when he escorted the fan to his new spot.
However, moments later, Demaree was confronted by his boss.
A TikTok video that quickly gained attention captured the moment when the security guard engaged in a heated exchange with his manager, eventually tearing off his vest and angrily departing.
“My boss came up to me, and he said I wasn’t doing my job and that I was incompetent,” he told the outlet.
Meanwhile, state fair management said that the barrier was put up at the request of the artist and that no one was ever allowed in the area.
General manager Craig Rudland said that Demaree violated protocol and that there’s reserved accessible seating in the grandstand.
He explained that there were available seats during the Jelly Roll show and wasn’t sure why the fan wasn’t directed there.
Demaree hit back that he was never briefed on the accessible seating and said that he was just trying to do the right thing.
Jelly Roll’s wife Alyssa DeFord, who is known as Bunnie XO on TikTok, left comments on viral videos asking for Demaree’s information.
She indicated that she wanted to thank him for trying to help the disabled fan.
The U.S. Sun has reached out to the North Dakota State Fair for further information on the incident.
This isn’t the first stunning turn to happen at a Jelly Roll show.
Around a year ago, the 40-year-old singer vowed to “change the life” of a teenager in the middle of a performance.
And at a different show, he broke down as he opened up about drug use and serving time behind bars.
