- A broken window was mistaken for a gun shot which led to the panic.
- Social media posts soon spread that a shooting situation was taking place on the Strip.
- Tourists ran to the “Mad Apple” Cirque du Soleil stage show to hide in the theater.
For almost an hour over the weekend, visitors of the Las Vegas Strip were in fear of an active shooter situation. A loud bang was heard around 10 pm and those who heard it felt like it was a gunshot. Panic ensued, with patrons running in all directions and social media posts spreading like wildfire. It was not until around 10:40 that confirmation was provided by police that the incident was not related to a shooting.
As people got on social media to post about the ‘shooting’ people started to flee the area. The New York-New York venue offers a Cirque du Soleil stage show known as the “Mad Apple” that was affected by the incident. The show was stopped after a loud noise was heard outside just after 10 pm.
The noise was people trying to get inside from the pedestrian bridge between the MGM Grand and the New York-New York casino. The people were hoping to hide from the ‘shooter’ inside the theater. Members of the cast were taken off stage and waited in their dressing rooms, with the doors locked.
The audience then left the event in fear of their safety. It was pandemonium everywhere as people tried to get away as quickly as they could, not really knowing where to go. Videos were seen on Twitter where tourists were running away as officers moved towards the New York-New York facility.
Many hotels in the area were put on lockdown including The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Guests were told to stay away from the properties until the situation was rectified.
What Caused the Bang?
The loud bang noise that everyone heard ended up being a broken window. An individual broke a casino in the valet area of the MGM Grand Casino. The sound was loud and caused a panic, since people automatically thought it was a gunshot.
An individual was taken into custody immediately and faces misdemeanor charges for destruction of property. While the situation was taken care of, those in the vicinity caused a panic and the misinformation spread so quickly that anyone nearby was running away in fear of a shooting situation.
Officers on the street were able to alert the public that a shooting did not occur and that there was no need to worry. The Metro finally confirmed via social media that a shooting did not take place, around 10:38 pm.
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