By Bonnie Culverhouse
Rumors of a gun at the Minden-Benton scrimmage game Friday night were just that … rumors, according to Minden Police Chief Steve Cropper.
Cropper said the scare came on the heels of a fight at Minden High School during the day.
“They arrested several kids from the fight,” Cropper said. “Then there was a rumor about the time the game got started that there were some TTS (Trained to Step) gang members supposed to be going to the game to shoot the game up, or shoot somebody at the game.”
The chief said his officers obtained information about who with guns was supposedly at the game.
“One of our guys saw them over on Lanning Street,” he said. “They were around the stadium, but they weren’t in the stadium.”
Cropper said Lt. Chris McClaran, who contacted him about the incident, said officers talked to the group of individuals.
“None of them had guns on them, but while they were talking to them, McClaran said somebody slapped a juvenile, and it was a mass panic, with everyone saying that they had guns,” he said. “Everyone panicked and it started a mass exit.”
One witness at the game claimed they heard 3 gunshots.
Cropper said an ambulance was called for a medical emergency, but it was unrelated. No one was injured attempting to leave the stadium.
“McClaran said it was just a mass rumor, a mass panic and a mass exit out of the stadium, so they called the game off and got everybody out of there,” the chief said.
