19 injured during reported stampede near Myrtle Beach, officials say

Officials said it appears a stampede at Bike Fest near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, was triggered when some started running, sparking a chain reaction within the crowd.

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Chaos erupted during a motorcycle event in South Carolina over Memorial Day weekend.A reported stampede near a Bike Fest stage area caused panic and left 19 people hurt. It happened around 1 a.m. on Sunday in Atlantic Beach, which is about 15 miles north of Myrtle Beach.Officials with the town of Atlantic Beach said it appears the stampede was triggered when some started running, sparking a chain reaction within the crowd. All 19 people suffered non-life-threatening injuries and three people were taken to a local hospital for treatment.Once the situation was under control, the event resumed normal operations.Ring camera video shows the moments the crowd began moving, but there are still differing accounts about exactly what happened. Kevin Ingram, who was close by when the incident happened, told WPDE that the situation wasn’t as bad as it seemed.”Everything was under control pretty right away. I mean everybody was having a great time. I think it was an isolated incident that certainly can’t overshadow this magnificent event Myrtle Beach has put on. We’ve been coming for years and never had any problems. The vendors are great, the people are amazing. We love it down here. We’ll be back next year for sure.”A statement from the City of Atlantic Beach says there were not any confirmed fights, weapons or direct threats to public safety during Bike Fest. “This situation appears to have been triggered when an individual began running, causing a brief chain reaction within the crowd that lasted only seconds,” the statement says. This isn’t the first time people ended up hurt at the event.Last year, 12 people were hurt when a fight broke out and caused panic in the Bike Fest crowd.

Chaos erupted during a motorcycle event in South Carolina over Memorial Day weekend.

A reported stampede near a Bike Fest stage area caused panic and left 19 people hurt. It happened around 1 a.m. on Sunday in Atlantic Beach, which is about 15 miles north of Myrtle Beach.

Officials with the town of Atlantic Beach said it appears the stampede was triggered when some started running, sparking a chain reaction within the crowd. All 19 people suffered non-life-threatening injuries and three people were taken to a local hospital for treatment.

Once the situation was under control, the event resumed normal operations.

Ring camera video shows the moments the crowd began moving, but there are still differing accounts about exactly what happened.

Kevin Ingram, who was close by when the incident happened, told WPDE that the situation wasn’t as bad as it seemed.

“Everything was under control pretty right away. I mean everybody was having a great time. I think it was an isolated incident that certainly can’t overshadow this magnificent event Myrtle Beach has put on. We’ve been coming for years and never had any problems. The vendors are great, the people are amazing. We love it down here. We’ll be back next year for sure.”

A statement from the City of Atlantic Beach says there were not any confirmed fights, weapons or direct threats to public safety during Bike Fest.

“This situation appears to have been triggered when an individual began running, causing a brief chain reaction within the crowd that lasted only seconds,” the statement says.

This isn’t the first time people ended up hurt at the event.

Last year, 12 people were hurt when a fight broke out and caused panic in the Bike Fest crowd.