Police: Fight led to scare, evacuation at Universal Orlando

A fight between “several juveniles” in a parking garage prompted a scare at Universal Orlando City Walk on Saturday night, leading to an evacuation, but no shots were fired and no one was hurt, police said.

In a statement posted on Twitter, the Orlando Police Department said it evacuated the garage “[o]ut of an abundance of caution... as our officers ensure everyone is safe.”

“No shots were fired. No injuries were reported,” OPD later said.

Any guests who lost property while fleeing should contact the resort’s Guest Services division, which “will retain any found property,” OPD said.

Videos posted online showed the incident sent people fleeing through the garage. It wasn’t the only scare in Central Florida on Saturday.

Chaos erupted inside Florida Mall in the afternoon when people feared there was an active shooter, though the Orange County Sheriff ’s Office said the incident was likely caused by fireworks being set off.

Reports on social media began surfacing around 4 p.m. about people running inside the mall and taking refuge inside stores or storage closets. No shots were fired, the OCSO said.

Mass-shooting panics have emerged as a trend recently due to the very real threat of gun violence targeting crowds and other gathering places, from schools to supermarkets, medical facilities and churches.

The pair of scares Saturday in Orlando came just weeks after panic erupted at the city’s signature downtown fireworks show on the Fourth of July, which injured 12 people and sent hundreds racing for safety.

Experts say the drumbeat of mass shootings across the nation has “primed” people to experience a “heightened state of alert” when in crowded places, prompting a fightor-flight response in some cases.