Pandemonium At ‘Hamilton’ Performance When Fire Alarm Is Mistaken For Active Shooter
After a medical emergency was mistaken for an active shooter, a mass panic interrupted a performance of Hamilton at the Orpheum Theatre in San Francisco on Friday night, according to People.
Lt. Jonathan Baxter, a spokesperson for the fire department, stated that a woman suffered a heart attack and a defibrillator was pulled off a wall at the theater to aid her, which then caused the fire alarm to go off. She was taken to the hospital and listed in critical condition.
However, the confusion from the alarm resulted in “an unorganized rapid exit of the theater,” the department added.
Authorities initially reported that three audience members were injured during the stampede — two with “moderate” injuries and one with a broken leg. All three individuals were taken to the hospital.
WFLA reported that the active shooter confusion may have been because the medical emergency came at the same time as a duel scene in the musical in which gunfire can be heard.