Teenage fans COLLAPSE in crowds as frenzied hordes are crammed like sardines into a mall as they rush to meet TikTok star dubbed ‘Australia’s Kim Kardashian’ – forcing police to shut down the event
- WA Police have shut down OnlyFans and TikTok star Anna Paul’s meet-and-greet
- Hundreds of fans swarmed Perth’s CBD to meet the influencer on Sunday
- Event was closed due to safety concerns – with paramedics called to the scene
Police have shut down a meet-and-greet for OnlyFans and TikTok sensation Anna Paul after more than 300 rowdy fans stormed a mall and paramedics were called in to help collapsing patrons.
Hundreds of teenagers descended on the pop-up in Perth’s CBD on Sunday for the chance to see the 23-year-old influencer, who has been described as Australia’s Kim Kardashian, as she tours the country.
Footage posted on social media shows hordes of followers packed shoulder-to-shoulder outside the Stax store, an activewear brand promoted by Paul, on Hay Street, chanting ‘Anna!’ as they waited to catch a glimpse of the star.
But WA Police were forced to intervene when ‘tensions’ arose after some attendees reportedly ‘jumped the queue’ as a massive crowd converged on the venue.
Police have cancelled a pop-up event in Perth to meet influencer Anna Paul (pictured) after hundreds of teenagers descended on the scene
‘Police attended a clothing store store in Hay Street Mall at the request of store’s management due to the store expecting about 200 to 300 people to attend an event publicised on social media,’ WA Police said.
‘A significantly larger crowd than expected attended. Tensions among some parts of the crowd were noticed to increase with allegations of ‘queue jumping’.
‘Police requested the assistance of St John Ambulance after several people collapsed and required medical assistance.’
The event was expected to run from 12pm to 4pm but was cancelled prematurely, with officers dispersing fans from the area.
WA Police said the event as cancelled after consulting with the store’s management ‘due to the size of the crowd’, ‘lack of appropriate security’, and insufficient capabilities to cope with the higher-than-expected numbers.
Paul released a statement on Instagram just after midday saying police ordered organisers to close down the event because of crowd control concerns.
‘Due to safety the West Australia police had to shut down the Perth meet and greet early,’ she wrote.
‘It became a huge safety hazard… thank you for being amazing… I am so so sorry we tried our very best to work with the police but it got too much.’
Anna has spent the past week on a meet-and-greet tour through Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth
The Queenslander, who boasts a combined seven million followers across TikTok and Instagram, spent the past week touring through Sydney and Melbourne mingling with crazed devotees.
Similar scenes were captured at both events as besotted fans flocked to see her, bringing gifts, including flowers, letters, posters, and clothing.
The Perth meet-and-greet was her final stop, where she was due to promote her new collaboration with Stax and sell items from her collection in person which are not usually available for WA consumers.
Disappointed fans flocked online after being sent home to complain about the ‘unorganised’ situation, with some reporting having started queuing as early as 6am.
‘So s. I’m**t, really disappointed,’ one person wrote.
‘I was there and I am so mad!’ another added.
‘I felt like crying,’ a third said.
Paul started out as a lip-sync artist on TikTok before moving into a lucrative career posting content on subscription-based site Only Fans, where she is one of the highest earners.
As of April, her net worth was an estimated US$6 million to US$7 million, which includes her lavish waterfront mansion on the Gold Coast.
***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk