OZOMATLI - OZOMATLI STARS CAUGHT UP IN POLICE RIOT

OZOMATLI stars JIRO YAMAGUCHI and WILLY ABERS have been arrested for city ordinance and assault violations in Austin, Texas, after taking the group's SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST FESTIVAL performance from the stage to the street.

The GRAMMY-winning bandmates and manager AMY SUE BLACKMAN-ROMERO were caught up in a scuffle that escalated when police arrived at the scene to answer a disturbance complaint outside the EXODUS club on Thursday night (18MAR04).

During the Los Angeles group's energetic performance, members of the band marched through the crowd while beating drums and playing horns and spilled out into the street, where fans joined them to dance and cheer.

Yamaguchi, Abers and Blackman-Romero were taken to the Travis County Jail, where percussionist Yamaguchi spent the remainder of the night on $5,000 (GBP2,780) bail.