Noises similar to firearms triggered a panic attack in a shopping center in Orlando, central Florida, that left almost 20 injured, local media reported today.
The event was triggered by a fight between a man and a woman in the Florida Mall eating area on Saturday afternoon, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
According to the officers, the sound of the chairs against the floor that produced the fight confused some people, who thought they were shots and ran out in the panic.
The situation resulted in 18 people with minor injuries, eight of them referred to local hospitals, informed the authorities, who had to close the shopping center for an hour.
The protagonists of the fight were put in the custody of the Police.
It is not the first time that fear of a shooting generates chaos in this mall. According to local channel WKMG, in August 2016 the sound of a balloon bursting during the opening of a restaurant were mistaken for gunfire.
