Don Toliver's Sold-Out Toyota Center Show Cut Short After Man Caught With Gun at Metal Detector

Don Toliver's sold-out homecoming show at Toyota Center ended abruptly Tuesday night after Houston police say a man tried to walk through a metal detector with a handgun. The show stopped about 10 minutes early, and fans left the arena without an explanation from venue staff.

Houston police said officers were called to the arena around 11 p.m. after venue security flagged a 30-year-old man attempting to pass through a metal detector with a weapon in plain view, not tucked into a holster. The man, identified in court records as Joshua Biosah of Richmond, has been charged with unlawful carrying of a weapon in a public place, a misdemeanor. KHOU 11 reported his age as 31.

Toliver, a Houston native, had already made it through nearly his full set when the show stopped. His attorney, Kent Shaffer, said the rapper left the stage and the house lights came on about five minutes later with no announcement of why.

"Don left the stage, and then maybe five minutes later, the house lights went on and the show was canceled, but nobody knew why," Shaffer said.

Video posted to social media shows the arena's lights flipping on mid-show as an announcer told the crowd, "Please go to the nearest exit, exit safely and have a good night." Fans in the videos appear confused, with some asking each other what happened as they filed out. Separate video shared with a local news outlet appeared to show someone in the crowd holding a lit flare, though police have not said whether that was connected to the man detained at the metal detector.

Live Nation, which produced the show as part of Toliver's Nitrous World Tour, said the concert was halted "out of an abundance of caution for the safety of fans, the artist, and event staff." Shaffer said Toliver wanted to finish the last few songs of his set but deferred to the venue's decision.

"He wanted to do the last few songs, but he's a professional and he understands that when a venue tells you you have to stop, you have to stop," Shaffer said. "So he's very disappointed."

Shaffer said Toliver had friends and family in the crowd for the show. The rapper grew up in Houston before breaking out nationally as a singer and rapper known for his work with Travis Scott's Cactus Jack label.

"I understand fans can be upset, but I guarantee you, nobody is more upset than Don," Shaffer said.

Houston police said the incident was referred to them by Toyota Center's security staff, meaning the man was stopped before he got further into the venue. Exactly how he ended up with a visible handgun at the metal detector checkpoint has not been explained. Toyota Center has not responded to requests for comment on how weapons screening is handled at the arena or why the gun was not caught earlier in the process. The security company contracted to work the venue has also not responded to questions about how the weapon and other prohibited items, including the flare seen on video, may have gotten inside.

Houston City Council member Edward Pollard, who attended the concert and presented Toliver with a proclamation earlier in the evening, told a local reporter through a spokesperson that he had no additional details about how the show ended.

No other charges related to the incident have been reported, and police have not said whether the man detained is connected to any other individuals inside the venue that night.

Toliver's Nitrous World Tour is set to continue as scheduled, with the rapper performing Thursday night at American Airlines Center in Dallas. Live Nation has not announced any changes to the remaining tour dates or additional security measures for upcoming stops. Toyota Center has not said whether it plans to review its screening procedures following Tuesday's incident.