A fight and a popping balloon sparked mass panic and a “stampede” at Walt Disney World as police responded to false rumors of an active shooter inside the Florida theme park Thursday night.
The terrifying moment occurred inside Magic Kingdom just around 10 p.m. as the park was closing for the night, according to reports.
Video posted to social media captured a store inside the park littered with chairs and items that had fallen of the displays in the aftermath of frightened and confused guests running for cover.
“Went to Magic Kingdom today and there was literally a stampede because of a suspected shooter I thought that was actually going to be my last day,” X user “anxrosa” posted alongside the video at 10:16 p.m.
“I was shoved out of the way and fell. Mothers were crying looking for their daughters, people were hiding, it was so bad,” the user added.
“There was just a f–king stampede in Magic Kingdom. I think people thought there was a shooter that was the scariest thing I’ve ever been in in my entire life,” another park guest said.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office quickly dispelled the rumors of an active shooting, blaming the chaotic situation on a fight and a poorly timed balloon pop.
“There is NO active shooter at WaltDisneyWorld’s Magic Kingdom. A fight occurred, and a “popping” sound was heard that we believe was a balloon,” the department wrote on social media. “Guests began running and that’s how the active shooter rumor started. There is no active shooter.”
The park guests who ran into the store were held inside stores while police “patrolled the streets and checked everything out.”
Guests were finally let out after 15 minutes and exited by the “ferry boats” — one of the park’s water transportation services as there were no monorails or busses, anxrosa said in a follow-up post.
“A lot of people are pretty shaken up but we haven’t been given an explanation,” the user added.
Magic Kingdom closed at 10 p.m. on Thursday.
“We appreciate the immediate response of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office to quickly assess and clear the situation. Normal operations have resumed and the park is now closed for the evening,” a spokesperson for Walt Disney World Resorts said, according to WKMG.
