Panic at Barclays
16 hurt in exit rush after ‘gunfire’ report
Video posted online shows crowds fleeing in terror as panic swept through Barclays Center over a false report of a shooting early Sunday, leaving 16 people injured.
Tennis star Noami Osaka was one of those caught up in the mayhem following a boxing match as the NYPD said seven of those injured were hospitalized.
Footage, including at least one clip posted on TikTok, showed a frantic stampede, with people ducking and running inside the arena, where Gervonta Davis successfully defended his WBA lightweight title against Rolando Romero.
Osaka said she was “petrified” when she was forced to huddle in a room while the chaos broke out.
“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,” Osaka wrote on Twitter.
The four-time Grand Slam champion added: “I really hope everyone made it out safely, since I’m tweeting this we made it out ok.”
Journo’s blow-by-blow
Boxing reporter Ryan Songalia had told The Post that only media and production workers were still in Barclays when a fight broke out and some mistook the commotion for a shooter.
The NYPD said no gunfire went off, although there was a fight not far away on Atlantic Avenue and Fort Greene Place at around 1 a.m. involving a man who then ran toward the Atlantic Terminal mall.
Crowds then started running in the same direction, contributing to the confusion, cops said.
Investigators have video of the incident, a police source said.
Fears for the worst
“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,” Songalia said.
“Thankfully we were able to return to our seats to file our stories and exit safely.”