At least 10 people were treated for injuries Saturday after a fight between two people spurred a stampede at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, where a national cheerleading competition was taking place.
More than two dozen Dallas police units responded downtown about 1 p.m. to reports of an active shooter at the convention center at 650 South Griffin St., not far from Dallas City Hall.
Police determined a fight broke out between two people, which led to multiple poles being knocked down. The loud noise caused panic and people “rushed outside in a stampede,” Dallas police spokespeople said.
Law enforcement officials told The Dallas Morning News the fight was between adults. Some people were injured in the hurry to escape, the officials told The News, but police confirmed there was no active shooter.
Jason Evans, a Dallas Fire-Rescue spokesperson, said 10 people were taken to hospitals with injuries officials deemed non-life-threatening, ranging from bruises and scrapes to “extremity fractures.”
We can confirm that there was no active shooter at the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center. More information will follow when it becomes available.
— Dallas Police Dept (@DallasPD)
Police officials did not immediately provide additional details about the incident or clarify whether any arrests were made.
Police asked the public to stay away from the scene and set up a family reunification center at 400 North Lamar St.
Dallas City Council member Jesse Moreno, whose district includes the convention center, said in a statement he was made aware of the altercation, is grateful for the police response and will “stay on top of this issue” as it develops.
“I want to reassure everyone that there is no active threat at the Convention Center at this time,” Moreno said.
Families and cheerleaders were seen walking close to the convention center after the incident. The disturbance prompted an emergency alert and nearby buildings to go on brief lockdowns, including the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum. Police cars and ambulances drove around the area with emergency sirens activated, several weaving in and out of heavy traffic on Interstate 30 near downtown.
Mandy Danley, 51, of Houston, was at the convention center to support her daughter, Madalyn, at the 2025 NCA All-Star National Championship, which was celebrating its 30th anniversary in Dallas. According to the Dallas Sports Commission, the event is the largest competition in the organization’s history with 1,712 teams, 30,410 athletes and 3,700 coaches from 43 states and nine countries.
Madalyn Danley, 16, recalled being in a room with her teammates when, without warning, they were ordered to drop to the floor and press themselves against the wall.
“All these people were running and just pushing each other out of the way, and I didn’t know what was happening,” Mandy Danley said.
Mandy Danley and her daughter said they headed to the reunification location to rejoin a friend they were separated from who’d been injured in the evacuation.
About 30 to 40 people stood outside Dallas police headquarters around 3:30 p.m. to reunite with loved ones in the aftermath of the stampede.
Celia Morton, 16, of Tulsa, told The News she was in a room with her team when she heard people yell and scream. She and her team were locked down in the room for about 10 minutes before they were let out. She reunited with her mother Lia Morton, 46, and her friend Emma Johnson, 15, at the convention center.
She said Johnson was separated from her mother Ashley Ballard, 40, but they also later reunited at Dallas police headquarters.
Lia Morton said the chaos came in “waves,” with an initial panic followed by brief calm, then disarray again. Celia Morton and Ballard said they saw about three people who were trampled in the stampede.
“One of my teammates and her mom were actually on the floor being trampled, and I kind of just blocked them a little bit, helped them up with a chair,” Celia Morton said.
Natale and Darwin Buenaventura, of New Jersey, were at the convention center to watch their daughter Alaina compete when they were caught in the eruption of chaos.
Crowds began to run and scream, and Natale Buenaventura, 45, said she tried to hide with her children. The situation was scary, she said, adding she could hear children crying. Alaina, 9, said she was scared by the panic.
Darwin Buenaventura, 47, was outside when the crush began. He said he ran with a crowd and saw a woman lying on the floor with blood near her.
She appeared to have been knocked unconscious, he said.
Brett Talcott, 48, and his wife, Sarah Talcott, 47, of Kansas City, Kan., were watching the cheer competition when they sensed a shift in the crowd. They said they were unsure what happened but heard a flurry of conflicting accounts circulating among parents and friends.
In a post on Facebook, NCA competition organizers said the remaining events scheduled for Saturday were suspended.
“We are working with hotel staff, event staff and local authorities to ensure a safe environment,” the post reads. “We will provide any updates as we receive them.”
Brian Bianco, a spokesperson for Varsity Brands, told The News in a statement that the convention center was “evacuated as a precaution based on reports of a safety concern. NCA security officials are working with law enforcement to quickly investigate these reports.”
He said activities were suspended the rest of Saturday as a precaution but will resume Sunday.
“We will continue to work with event staff and local authorities to ensure a safe environment for our athletes to finish competing,” Bianco said.
At least one group, however, has said they are not continuing with the event Sunday.
“While statements from news outlets are stating it was fake, what we went through today with our athletes was very real,” Cheer Town USA, which is based in Lumberton in east Texas, said in a Facebook post. “And not something any athlete, child, parent, or coach should have to go through.”
