Tennis star Naomi Osaka ‘petrified’ after watching panicked people flee Barclays Center in Brooklyn

CNN
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No shots were fired at Barclays Center during a disruption that sent people including tennis star Naomi Osaka running for their lives early Sunday, the New York Police Department said.

“After investigating the incident at Barclays Center this morning, we have determined that no shots were fired,” the NYPD 78th Precinct, which serves the Park Slope section of Brooklyn, said in a statement. Tweeter on Sunday.

An NYPD spokesperson told CNN there was a “noise disturbance” in the indoor arena that people mistook for gunfire. Ten people suffered minor injuries and were taken to hospital, police said.

The disruption followed a boxing match between Devonte Davis and Rolando Romero at center, and comes as the nation remains jittery after recent mass shootings in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas.

Osaka, who was present at the event, said she was “petrified” when she saw the commotion.

“I was right at the Barclays center and all of a sudden I heard screaming and saw people running and then we were shouted at that there was an active shooter and we had to huddle in a room and close the doors,” Osaka said on Twitter.

In a follow-up tweet, the four-time Grand Slam tennis champion said, “I really hope everyone got out of this safely, since I’m tweeting this, we got out of this fine.”

NYPD Detective Adam Navarro told CNN in a phone call that there were no shootings at Barclays Center. Rather, Navarro said, it was a “sonic disturbance” that caused people to panic and flee.