A weekend brawl at a Dallas national cheerleading competition sent thousands of teens and parents running for their lives when the scuffle sparked false reports of an active shooter, police said.
The chaos unfolded around 1 p.m. Saturday at the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center, where a countrywide championship for the National Cheerleaders Association was under way, the Dallas Police Department said on X.
“The preliminary investigation determined a fight between two people led to multiple poles being knocked down, which caused a loud noise,” the department said. “This noise contributed to panic inside the building, prompting people to rush outside in a stampede.
“There were multiple life-threatening injuries during the chaos,” police said. “No shooting occurred.”
But the fear over a possible shooter sent thousands of teen cheerleaders and their families running into the streets, shows video footage posted by Fox affiliate KDFW-TV.
“It was pandemonium,” witness David Crawford told the outlet. “Everyone running in all directions.”
Autumn Holub, a 14-year-old cheerleader, said she was tossed about as the mob ran for the doors.
“I got pushed into a corner,” she told KDFW. “I fell, my knees hurting, my hands are hurting. I thought I was going to pass out. I had no clue what I was doing.
“Crying, screaming, police officers everywhere,” she said. “The sirens were terrifying.”
The footage shows Dallas cops rushing to the scene, while the adjacent Omni Hotel was evacuated.
Varsity Brands, which sponsors NCA events, said in a statement that the convention center was evacuated as a precaution after the incident, and it shut down the competition for the day.
“This incident stemmed from an altercation between two attendees and led to confusion and several injuries. Thankfully, none of those were life-threatening,” a rep said in an email to The Post on Sunday.
“The NCA All-Star competition resumed this morning, and athletes will be competing through this evening,” the statement said. “We thank our athletes, coaches, staff, spectators and Dallas emergency response officials for their support and look forward to finishing this event strong later today.”
Read the full article here