False reports of an active shooter sent fans into a panic early Sunday morning (May 29) during a boxing match at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Approximately 10 people were injured and taken to the hospital after a loud noise was heard inside 19,000-capacity arena, causing attendees to run in fear, NBC News reports. All injuries were minor, according to a statement from the New York City Police Department.
Authorities have reportedly determined that no gunshots were fired inside the building. It was unclear what caused the booming sound.
The stampede occurred at around midnight on Sunday following a championship boxing match between Gervonta Davis and Rolando Romero. Celebrities in attendance included Madonna, but it was unclear if the superstar singer was present during the chaotic incident.
Tennis star Naomi Osaka, who was also present, shared her terrifying experience on Twitter. “I was just in the Barclays center and suddenly I heard shouting and saw people running, then we were being yelled at that there was an active shooter and we had to huddle in a room and close the doors, I was so f—ing petrified man,” the athlete wrote.
Boxing reporter Ryan Songalia shared a video of the mayhem on social media. “Scary moment as crowds pour back into Barclays Center, my fear was a shooting but those fears proved unfounded,” he captioned a video of people scurrying in the facility.
The panicked moment arrived just days after a deadly shooting in Uvalde, Texas, where 19 children and two teachers were killed at Robb Elementary School.
