A chemical agent is believed to have been fired into a crowd at a Pride Parade event in Baltimore, causing a stampede that left several people injured.
Revelers at the Baltimore Pride Party reported that a chemical, possibly Mace or hairspray, was released into the crowd around 8:37 p.m. Saturday.
The chaos that followed led to the end of headliner Saucy Santana’s performance and the quick closure of the event. he Baltimore flag reported.
Fireworks were also set off at the same location, near the event’s main stage at North Avenue and Charles Street, contributing to the panic, police said.
Baltimore police have not yet determined what the chemical was or who was responsible for spreading it.
A Baltimore Pride event was plunged into chaos after a ‘chemical agent’ was fired into the crowd.
The incident led to the end of headliner Saucy Santana’s performance.
Footage from the event showed attendees running toward the exits and screaming as the chemical agent was released.
Police said that after the event was closed, the fire department was “treating several injuries from the mass exodus.”
No further information was provided on the number or severity of the injuries.
However, a police spokesperson confirmed there was no information “to support this being a targeted attack”.
The organizers of the event, the Pride Center of Maryland, said they understood the chemical had been Mace activated by “a group of young people.”
“Today, our law enforcement is paying close attention to what Pride celebrants bring with them,” the nonprofit’s executive director, Cleo Manago, told the Banner.
A witness to the event, Kate Bowers, added to the outlet: “Suddenly, people were screaming and running. It was like a bomb went off. The air was very thick.
Pride Center of Maryland event was quickly closed
Police confirmed there was no information “to support that this was a targeted attack.”
‘People were vomiting. People were pouring water in their eyes. There was a little boy in a stroller.
“They were pouring water in the boy’s eyes,” he added.
Bowers told the outlet that a low-flying police helicopter hovered above the crowd shouting the message: “stay calm, the situation is under control.”
‘I’m not sure I’ve processed it yet. It was something so abrupt and drastic. Waking up this morning. ‘I was shocked by the magnitude of what could have happened,’ he added.