This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/15/us/boca-raton-mall-balloon.html

The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
A Popped Balloon Caused Panic at a Florida Mall, Police Say A Popped Balloon Caused Panic at a Florida Mall, the Police Say
(32 minutes later)
A balloon that popped in a Florida mall on Sunday caused a panic that sent shoppers running and prompted police SWAT teams and federal agents to lock down the commercial center for several hours, the authorities said on Tuesday.A balloon that popped in a Florida mall on Sunday caused a panic that sent shoppers running and prompted police SWAT teams and federal agents to lock down the commercial center for several hours, the authorities said on Tuesday.
The sound that filled the food court in the mall, the Town Center in Boca Raton, around 3 p.m. resulted in more than 100 emergency calls with false reports of gunfire, the police said.The sound that filled the food court in the mall, the Town Center in Boca Raton, around 3 p.m. resulted in more than 100 emergency calls with false reports of gunfire, the police said.
Investigators later reviewed a video that captured the pandemonium and showed a janitor pushing a garbage cart through the mall’s food court. The cart rolled over a balloon and dragged it on the ground before it popped, the police said.Investigators later reviewed a video that captured the pandemonium and showed a janitor pushing a garbage cart through the mall’s food court. The cart rolled over a balloon and dragged it on the ground before it popped, the police said.
“After interviewing hundreds of witnesses, listening to more than one hundred 911 calls and scouring surveillance video, no one saw or heard any shooters,” Mark Economou, an officer with the Boca Raton Police Department, said in an interview on Tuesday.“After interviewing hundreds of witnesses, listening to more than one hundred 911 calls and scouring surveillance video, no one saw or heard any shooters,” Mark Economou, an officer with the Boca Raton Police Department, said in an interview on Tuesday.
One person was seriously injured as he fled the mall and hit his head on a door on the way out, the police said.One person was seriously injured as he fled the mall and hit his head on a door on the way out, the police said.
Joseph Gibson, an employee at the mall, was coming in to work just as the panic began. He said in an interview on Tuesday that he was about to enter the building Sunday afternoon when he saw about 50 people running out, some screaming and crying hysterically. When he saw a fellow employee running toward him, he turned around and started running away.Joseph Gibson, an employee at the mall, was coming in to work just as the panic began. He said in an interview on Tuesday that he was about to enter the building Sunday afternoon when he saw about 50 people running out, some screaming and crying hysterically. When he saw a fellow employee running toward him, he turned around and started running away.
“I was definitely scared,” he said. “I don’t think I was scared for my life, but I knew I was in danger.”“I was definitely scared,” he said. “I don’t think I was scared for my life, but I knew I was in danger.”
The panic in Boca Raton mirrored similar episodes across the country. In March, students at the University of Michigan mistook popping balloons for an active shooter. In August, hundreds of people in Times Square mistook the sound of a dirt bike backfiring for gunshots. Last week, the police in Ridgefield, Conn., responded to a report of shots. The noise turned out to be the sound of cars driving over loose Bubble Wrap strewn over the road.The panic in Boca Raton mirrored similar episodes across the country. In March, students at the University of Michigan mistook popping balloons for an active shooter. In August, hundreds of people in Times Square mistook the sound of a dirt bike backfiring for gunshots. Last week, the police in Ridgefield, Conn., responded to a report of shots. The noise turned out to be the sound of cars driving over loose Bubble Wrap strewn over the road.