James Lawler Duggan/Reuters
A man who threatened another person with a BB gun during Washington, D.C.’s annual pride parade on Saturday set off a panic when parade-goers mistakenly believed real gunshots were fired, according to police. Aftabjit Singh threatened someone with the BB gun for “hitting on his significant other,” according to a police report. He was later arrested and charged with weapons possession and disorderly conduct charges. Hundreds of panicked people ran from the area after word spread that a man had a gun. The panic caused people to run into stores and knock down metal police barricades. Seven people were taken to hospitals for injuries they suffered while fleeing the festivities, according to authorities.
As the officers closed in on the source of the panic, Singh was pointed out as having a gun. He was then stopped by officers who noticed what appeared to be a silver gun sticking out of his bag, according to the report. As he was being led away in handcuffs, Singh vowed to come back and shoot the person he threatened, police said. The parade was shut down after the incident. Singh is expected to appear in court on Monday.