Mass panic & stampede at Barclays Center Davis vs Romero boxing title fight after ‘shooting’ sends crowds screaming

PANICKED boxing fans were caught up in a stampede at a boxing title fight after a false alarm of a shooting.

Several spectators were injured in the rush as crowds “ran for their lives” at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn last night, according to videos and witnesses.

Terrified fans thought there was an active shooter in the main plaza and flooded back into the arena for cover.

Although the NYPD has denied any shots were fired, the storming crowd caused real chaos in the aftermath of the Geranto Davis-Rolando Romero fight.

Multiple people were transported to hospital and approximately a dozen were injured – some with a concussion and one with an elbow injury – according to one boxing reporter at the scene.

In reality, a fight broke out as the public were leaving the arena, which sparked the commotion that was confused as a shooting.

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One video showed crowds scrambling and another clip appeared to show shoes and other items strewn around the arena in the aftermath.

One Twitter user wrote: “Everyone at @barclayscenter was panicking. Both my knees are bleeding from being on the floor for what seemed like 20 minutes.”

Crowds jumped to the false conclusion that there was an active shooter as the nation recovers from the news of two recent mass shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde, Texas.

Media and production workers were still inside when the screaming crowds poured back in, boxing reporter Ryan Songalia told The Post.

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He said: “We’re used to brawls at boxing events but recent headlines and the panic of the crowd made many of us worried that our worst fears would come true.

“Thankfully we were able to return to our seats to file our stories and exit safely.”

He added that people were “definitely frightened, it wasn’t like they were just moving back inside to get away from a few people throwing punches.”

“It was as if they were running for their lives.”

Champion Tennis player Naomi Osaka, who’d been watching Saturday’s fights, was also caught up in the drama and said she was “petrified” by the ordeal.

She tweeted around 1:45 a.m. Sunday: “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–king petrified man.”

Sports Illustrated writer Chris Mannix also witnessed the drama, tweeting that a sound like gunshots rang out inside, though he later said the sound may have come from outside.

“Frightening moments,” he wrote. “Hundreds of fans started to rush back into the arena from the concourse. People — including media — ducking for cover.”

An NYPD spokesperson confirmed to The Post the active shooter report is “inaccurate.” 

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“It’s a large crowd condition. No shots fired. No one shot outside the Barclay’s Center.”

It wasn’t immediately clear how many people were hurt or what the extent of their injuries were.

Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk