Orlando police determine 'no criminal activity' led to panic at Lake Eola Fourth of July fireworks

ORLANDO - After reviewing phone calls, tips, and hours of video, Orlando police have determined that "no criminal activity" led to the panic during the Fourth of July fireworks show at Lake Eola.

"After receiving more than one hundred phone calls, following nearly 20 tips through Crimeline, and reviewing hours of video, our detectives have determined no criminal activity was found that led to the commotion…" police said in a statement.

"We thank our community members for the outpouring of information, videos, and photos facilitated to our detectives during this investigation."

More than 100,000 people were estimated to have been at Lake Eola to watch the city's yearly Independence Day fireworks show.

After a 30-minute delay, the fireworks started around 9:45 p.m., but six minutes later, people started unexpectedly running, cowering, and jumping over bushes, which led to a chain-reaction of people yelling and running away from the parks and into the nearby streets.

Despite rumors of a possible shooting, police quickly determined that there was no evidence of gunfire. Another thought was that fireworks going off nearby at the same time, may have been perceived as gunfire and spooked some people.

The crowd may also have been anxious because that morning, there was a deadly shooting during a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois, outside of Chicago. Seven people were killed and several others were hurt during that shooting.

The alleged gunman was arrested.

About a dozen people were injured as a result of the chaos, but injuries were determined to be minor. Nearly a dozen people were separated from their groups, but were all reunited that same night, police said.