After a weekend of two mass shootings that left a combined total of at least 31 dead, police say motorcycles backfiring in the popular New York tourist destination Times Square led people to believe they were at the center of a third.
The confusion took place around 10 p.m. Tuesday near 7th Avenue and 46th Street, according to CNN affiliate WLNY. That confusion turned to fear and then chaos, as seen in video from above, but police quickly announced that there was nothing to fear, CNN reported.
“There is no #ActiveShooter in #TimesSquare. Motorcycles backfiring while passing through sounded like gun shots,” the NYPD Midtown North said on Twitter.
There were multiple calls to 911 over the incident, NYPD said.
But the backfiring bikes sent people into a panic, with a stampede picking up when terrified people screamed “shooter,” according to WLNY.
Several pedestrians were injured in the chaos. They had bruises and lacerations, but nothing was life-threatening, the outlet reported.
Panic erupted in Times Square late Tuesday night after a motorcycle backfired and caused fears of a possible active shooter.
The NYPD said it received multiple 911 calls about the incident. There have been no reports of injuries.
https://t.co/KXwqh8pGrz pic.twitter.com/OJlUc9ATp3
— ABC News (@ABC) August 7, 2019
