A high school basketball game in Illinois was canceled Wednesday night when terrified fans stormed through the lobby doors and onto the basketball court at Auburn High School.
The Rockford Register Star reported that fans thought they heard gunshots near the concessions and fled the scene into the gymnasium.
After the game, Rockford Public Schools released a statement saying the incident was sparked by adults who were upset that they weren't allowed to enter the sold-out game.
“Several adults were verbally arguing at the concession stand," the statement said, according to the Rockford Register Star. "A pedestrian stanchion was knocked over and made a loud sound which caused confusion in the gym. Police and RPS staff responded. No RPS students were involved. All staff and students are safe. Police remained on scene until the game was over and all was clear.”
“Once I see one person running, we all got the memo,” Guilford senior forward Michael Jalil told the Star. “You’ve just got to get going after that.”
Auburn coach Bryan Ott huddled near the stairwell on the other side of the gym, holding his crying daughter.
“There were some people who were in tears like she was,” Ott said after police cleared the gym and fans were sent home. “There were others that were mad and shaking. You saw the whole herd of people running.
“I didn’t have the first clue (what happened). We were in a time-out huddle and all of a sudden everybody is stampeding toward us. ... Our guys were smart enough to run. Since I can’t run anymore, I am just making my way there gradually, but I am looking for my wife and daughter. They got with me right away.”
Guilford High School was leading Auburn 54-47 with 49 seconds left when chaos ensued, and the game was canceled.
