NY - Motorcycles backfiring mistaken for active shooter in Times Square, Manhattan, 6 Aug 2019

[JerseyGirl]

The confusion took place around 10 p.m. Tuesday near 7th Avenue and 46th Street. That confusion turned to fear and then chaos, as seen in video, but police quickly announced that there was nothing to fear.

"There is no #ActiveShooter in #TimesSquare. Motorcycles backfiring while passing through sounded like gun shots," the NYPD Midtown North said on Twitter.

Several pedestrians were injured in the chaos. They had bruises and lacerations, but nothing was life-threatening.

Times Square: Motorcycles backfiring mistaken for an active shooter - CNN

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[keptbycats]

One of my coworkers mentioned this Times Square incident to me this morning, alongside another news story about some fad for modifying custom cars that actually (purposely) makes the exhaust sound like gunfire. Crazy!

'Insane' Car Modification Mimics Gunfire, Could Cause Panic

• One of the latest trends in custom car modifications, called “straight piping,” goes way beyond style; some say it could spark panic
• The tweak involves removing portions of a car’s exhaust system to produce loud pops and flashes that fire like gunshots out of the tailpipe
• A John Jay associate prof says the pops could fool ShotSpotter, a network of acoustic sensors used by police departments to detect gunfire