WASHINGTON – A panic sparked by the mistaken belief that gunfire was fired at a pride parade in Washington, DC, sent people running in the streets of the capital on Saturday night, officials said. city. They reported that some had minor injuries.

"There is NO active shooter at Dupont Circle. There are wounded who are fleeing what they thought were shots. But there is NO ACTIVE SHOOTER at Dupont Circle, "Kevin Donahue, Deputy Mayor of Public Safety, said in a tweet.

Police found a weapon in a backpack, but no shots were fired, said Dustin Sternbeck, a police spokesman.

19-year-old Elizabeth Hernandez was among hundreds of people celebrating her pride when she said she heard "pop, pop" and barricades were suddenly overthrown and a crowd of people began to flee frantically.

"Everything fell and everyone said" course, "said Hernandez, of Falls Church, Va. She ran down the block and was pushed into a restaurant, where she went to a bathroom with a group of party goers.

Ashley Smith, president of Capital Pride Alliance, who organized the event, said he saw people heading towards him since Dupont Circle.

"We can not allow this incident, until we know all the facts, we can not let this incident ruin the celebration of pride this weekend," Smith said. "We are very focused on ensuring that we continue to organize a quality event for the rest of the weekend." He said the group spent a lot of time planning security procedures.

Mayor Muriel Bowser, in a statement posted on Twitter, confirmed that no shots had been fired and stated that fire department personnel were "on the scene for treat minor injuries / because of information reporting a shootout ".

A spokesman for the fire department said the emergency medical staff was looking after injured people, but could not immediately provide additional information on the number of casualties or the number of casualties. extent of their wounds.

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