4. Gimme Shelter Prevented Someone From Being Trialled For Murder
Gimme Shelter is a 1970 documentary detailing the final weeks of The Rolling Stones' 1969 US tour, leading up to the infamous Altamont Free Concert, a concert that turned extremely violent and ultimately lead to the death of attendee Meredith Hunter. The documentary was made by Albert and David Malyses, and was meant as a rather throwaway film for fans. What actually happened, however, was as fascinating as it was tragic the film prevented wrongful imprisonment for murder. It all started when the famous Hells Angels gang was brought on as security for the concert. Many fights broke out, and tension in the venue mounted. By the time The Rolling Stones took to the stage, the crowd was extremely restless. Eventually, an eighteen-year-old African-American by the name of Meredith Hunter attempted to force his way onto the stage. Hunter was held back and struck by the Hells Angels security guard Alan Passaro, and the resulting fight lead to Hunter being stabbed multiple times. The documentary, however, caught on film what really happened. When Passaro was brought to trial, footage from Gimme Shelter showed that Hunter had drawn a gun on Passaro, and that the stabbing had taken place in total self-defence. The footage was captured by Baird Bryant, and clearly shows the silhouette of a gun against Hunter's girlfriend's dress. Interestingly, a young George Lucas was filming at the concert, but his camera jammed early on and none of his footage was used in the film. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goMhOK3Q0Hg
