MANHEIM, Pa. —
Police are investigating a fight at a basketball game, which led to a stampede that injured 12 people on Sunday afternoon at the Spooky Nook Sports Complex.
The chaotic incident shut down the huge sports complex in in Manheim, Lancaster County. The facility had been hosting a big basketball tournament with teams from across the Northeast.
Police said some of the people at the tournament got into a fight. Others reported hearing gunshots. The incident sent hundreds of people running for the exits. That stampede left 12 people injured. Six of those injured had to be taken to the hospital.
After things calmed down, police searched the Spooky Nook complex and did not find any evidence to suggest a shooting actually happened.
East Hempfield Township Police released the following statement Sunday afternoon:
“Police have cleared the building after conducting searches of all areas and completing interviews with Spooky Nook Sports staff and visitors. Officers have reviewed some video and at this point the investigation continues. There has been nothing to confirm the initial report of a gunshot being fired. We do not have witnesses or evidence to support the initial calls to 911 for shots fired at this time.”
There is surveillance video from inside the complex and police are reviewing it. They are also looking for witnesses who could help explain what happened. If you have any information that could help investigators, you can call the East Hempfield Police Department at 717-898-3103 or submit a tip online here.
Woman captures chaos on camera
WGAL spoke with a woman who was in the midst of the mayhem.
Suzanne Jordan, of Las Vegas, was on the sidelines of her daughter’s tournament basketball game. She was livestreaming on Facebook Live when other players suddenly started leaping over chairs, sparking a stampede.
Jordan stayed put and kept recording, not knowing what was going on. You can see the footage in the video player above.
“I didn’t hear any gunshots, but I kind of grabbed my bag, grabbed my daughter’s bag and then just kind of waited to see what was going on. Everyone was crowded at the exit, and I think that that’s where most of the people got hurt because they were just running over people,” Jordan said.
Jordan’s daughter, Grace, and her teammates ran out of the building but were OK. The team was up 22 points with 10 minutes to go when the game was cut short.
Jordan said she is wondering what Spooky Nook may do to help the situation.
No one from the sports complex would go on camera Monday. A statement on Spooky Nook’s Facebook reads, in part, “We continue to prioritize the safety and security of anyone who comes into our facility and will continue to take steps to ensure just that.”
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