diff --git a/api/events.go b/api/events.go
index 8a289608c9..46128030a9 100644
--- a/api/events.go
+++ b/api/events.go
@@ -73,8 +73,6 @@ func (eh *eventsHandler) cleanupHandler(remoteAddr string) {
 // Handle writes information about a cluster event to each remote address in the cluster that has been added to the events handler.
 // After an unsuccessful write to a remote address, the associated channel is closed and the address is removed from the events handler.
 func (eh *eventsHandler) Handle(e *cluster.Event) error {
-	eh.RLock()
-
 	// remove this hack once 1.10 is broadly adopted
 	from := e.From
 	e.From = e.From + " node:" + e.Engine.Name
@@ -109,6 +107,8 @@ func (eh *eventsHandler) Handle(e *cluster.Event) error {
 
 	var failed []string
 
+	eh.RLock()
+
 	for key, w := range eh.ws {
 		if _, err := fmt.Fprintf(w, string(data)); err != nil {
 			// collect them to handle later under Lock