A concert videographer says his professional camera gear was damaged after a Dancehall musician dragged him onstage in a widely publicized incident.

Videographer Dario Shields says he is pursuing legal action after Dancehall artist Elephant Man pulled him onto the stage while he was operating a live camera at Dream Weekend’s YUSH event in Montego Bay, Jamaica, on Saturday. Shields alleges the incident caused considerable damage to his professional camera equipment and publicly humiliated him.

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Footage of the incident, which has circulated widely online, shows Shields operating a professional camera rig near the stage before Elephant Man approaches him. The video then appears to show the entertainer grabbing the videographer and dragging him across the stage. As Elephant Man grabs him, Shields bends down and braces himself against a stage monitor as he continues holding his camera gear.

According to a report by The Jamaica Gleaner, Shields’ lawyers claim the videographer was carrying out his contractual duties for the event when he was intentionally pulled across the stage in front of thousands of attendees and entertainment professionals.

Shields’ legal team claims that his professional camera equipment was damaged during the encounter. They allege that the videographer’s Sony a7 III camera and Tamron lens were broken. His attorneys also allege that Elephant Man made derogatory and degrading remarks toward Shields during the incident, causing him embarrassment and emotional distress.

Shields explains that his long-standing videographer role at the event involved capturing live footage for large LED screens positioned around the venue, allowing audiences to watch performances even when they were away from the stage. He says Elephant Man pulled him onstage while he was carrying out those duties.

“My camera feeds the big screens. Before the artistes come on, I help build the crowd’s energy by putting patrons on the screens. When the performances begin, my job is to capture the artistes so everybody can see them,” Shields tells The Jamaica Gleaner.

Shields adds: “I was completely outside of his [Elephant Man’s] way. He literally came over to where I was, grabbed me and started saying, ‘Move, move, cameraman’, while dragging me.”

Shields says the camera equipment he was carrying was heavy and that he reacted by lowering himself and holding onto a stage monitor to avoid falling from the elevated platform. He says he chose to continue working rather than respond to the situation.

“If I didn’t bend down and hold onto the speaker box, I would have been pushed off the stage,” the videographer explains. “I moved completely out of his way because I didn’t want patrons to lose the experience of seeing the performance on the screens. I just continued doing my job.”

Elephant Man has denied assaulting Shields or deliberately showing disrespect toward him, saying the interaction was part of his performance and was not meant to humiliate the videographer.

After the incident drew criticism from concert-goers who defended the videographer, Elephant Man shared a video in which he claimed he had apologized to Shields. However, Shields’ attorneys say that no formal apology has been received and that they plan to continue with legal action. For Shields, the incident highlights the work involved in documenting live events from behind the camera.

“People don’t always see the work that goes on behind the scenes,” the videographer says. “We’re there to make sure the audience has the best experience possible. At the end of the day, I was just doing my job.”

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