NEW YORK (AP) — Frantic people scrambled to get out of Times Square on Tuesday evening, pounding on theatre doors to find a place to hide after the sound of a motorcycle backfiring caused fear that gunshots were being fired in the wake of mass shootings in other American cities.
The New York Police Department, which said it received multiple 911 calls about the tumult, tweeted a reassurance: "There is no #ActiveShooter in #TimesSquare. Motorcycles backfiring while passing through sounded like gunshots."
"Please don't panic. The Times Square area is very safe!" the department added.
But after 31 people were killed in two mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, in less than 24 hours over the weekend, the sudden discharge of loud noises Tuesday night had people screaming as they fled in one of New York City's most popular areas.
"You hear a noise, you run. That's the state of this nation. We're petrified," Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, said Wednesday as he reflected on the panic.
Video footage showed the throngs rushing out of the busy tourism and entertainment area, with some taking cover behind vehicles.
Gideon Glick, an actor in "To Kill a Mockingbird" on Broadway, said the show at the Shubert Theater had to be stopped because of the chaos.
"Screaming civilians tried to storm our theatre for safety. The audience started screaming and the cast fled the stage," he wrote on Twitter. "This is the world we live in. This cannot be our world."
The Fire Department of New York said nine people were hurt altogether, with six transported to hospitals. Most injuries were minor.