Parents, athletes question security as cheer competition resumes in downtown Dallas after fight, mass evacuation
All-star cheerleading teams from across the nation returned to the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center for the National Cheerleaders Association competition on Sunday, following a chaotic incident Saturday after a fight prompted a mass evacuation and left at least 10 people hurt.
"I was walking out of the bathroom, and it was by a ramp, and a bunch of people started running, but we thought it was to the arena," said Mya Harr, one of the NCA competitors. "Then we looked outside, and people on the grass were running all different directions, so we ran back into the bathroom and tried to lock the door, but the bathroom wouldn't lock."
Dallas police said hundreds, if not thousands of people fled the convention center Saturday.
Competitors and attendees from all over the country said they are trying to return to normal and focus on winning; however, some told CBS News Texas they thought there would be security upgrades and were disappointed with what they saw.
"If it happened again, we wouldn't know," said Harr. "There's just kind of posters up that say 'No armed weapons.' No one's checking or anything. It feels exactly the same as it did yesterday."
"I think it's unexcusable what happened, and all I can think of is the threat to the children, the parents," added Ruben Alvarez, a cheer grandparent. "Anybody can walk in there with anything and do something to 500 people before anything's happened. And I don't think that, for what the venue charges and for all the teams here, I think that they are a total failure on security."
Varsity Brands said in a statement:
"All our events have a designated on-site Event Safety Manager, who focuses entirely on ensuring safety and security practices are implemented according to our protocols. This role reports to our Chief Security Officer dedicated to enhancing the security and safety practices at our competitions and camps."
CBS News Texas has reached out to Dallas police to see if protocol was followed on Saturday for a mass evacuation and if any changes were made for Sunday.
In a statement to CBS News Texas on Saturday, Brian Bianco, Senior Director of Strategic Communications for Varsity Brands, confirmed that the event would resume Sunday. He said they are grateful for the Dallas Police Department's additional support and presence.
"Our commitment to the safety of our athletes, coaches and spectators is paramount as we work with all the attendees impacted by today's events," Bianco said. "Tomorrow's resumption of the NCA All-Star 2025 competition will continue to uphold our rules and safety commitments."
Bianco noted that Varsity adjusted the schedule to allow all teams to compete as intended.
While they were disappointed in the lack of security upgrades, Harr and her teammates aren't leaving Dallas empty-handed.
"We won," said Harr. "Five-peat."
According to the schedule on the Varsity website, the event runs until at least 11 p.m. Central.
What happened at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Center?
With around 58,000 people — including 30,410 athletes and 3,700 coaches — attending the championship, hundreds, if not thousands, evacuated at once on Saturday.
Dallas police said a fight between two people at the convention center led to several poles toppling, creating a loud noise and triggering panic as many people mistakenly thought there was an active shooter inside the building.
The disturbance, which occurred around 1 p.m., led to what police described as a "stampede" as people rushed outside.
"I tripped, then I had people step on me," recalled cheerleader Destiny Hinton. "I ran like a mile past the Alamo Cinema and I hid in a dumpster."
The Dallas Police Department confirmed that there was no active shooter and no shooting had taken place.
According to Dallas Fire-Rescue, 10 people were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
"All of the injuries were sustained during the evacuation, and none were life-threatening," said Dallas-Fire Rescue spokesman Jason Evans. "They ranged in severity from bumps and bruises to extremity fractures."
Varsity suspended activities as a precaution, with Bianco saying they would continue working with event staff and local authorities to ensure a safe environment when it resumed.
At this time, it's not known who will be held responsible for the incident.