False report of gunfire causes panic at Rolling Loud music festival

Organizers say fight broke out, leading people to assume shooting occurred

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Dozens of people were hurt late Friday after a false report of a shooting caused a panic during the opening night of the Rolling Loud music festival, organizers said.

Festival organizers said the false alarm delayed some of the concerts at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. Some people suffered minor cuts and bruises as they tried to leave the venue.

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Tariq Cherie, co-founder of Rolling Loud,  said several people got into a fight at the venue, causing people to assuming there had been shooting.

"Safety is No. 1 at Rolling Loud. We have hundreds of police officers and security guards hired to protect our fans," Cherie said. "While we are upset this situation occurred, we are proud of the swift reaction of law enforcement to verify the area was secure."

Many people posted on social media about the incident.

"Scariest moment of my life just now at Rolling Loud. In between sets thousands of people started running to the exits, screaming about a mass shooting. People were trampling each other, hopping fences, crying hysterically," Tyker Blint-Welsh said on Twitter. "The worst part is, I don’t even think there was a shooting."

Rolling Loud, the world's largest hip-hip music festival, continues Saturday and Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium. Travis Scott, Kid Cudi, Migos, Cardi B and Lil Wayne are among the headliners.