More than 80 Alabama athletes are accounted for and OK after pandemonium erupted during a national cheerleading competition in Texas.

Cheerleaders from ACE Cheer Company in Birmingham and Tuscaloosa were competing in Dallas at the weekend-long All-Star National Championships at the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center when an incident erupted early Saturday afternoon, prompting the evacuations of athletes and staff.

“It was just chaos,’’ said Happy Hooper, owner of ACE Cheer Company.

Athlete’s from ACE’s gym in Jackson, Miss. were also competing.

Though many at the competition reported hearing gunfire, Dallas police posted on X, “We can confirm that there was no active shooter at the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center.”

Police later issued an update saying officers responded at 1 p.m. to reports of an active shooter at the convention center on South Griffin Street.

The preliminary investigation determined a fight between two people led to multiple poles being knocked down, which caused a loud noise.

“This noise contributed to panic inside the building, prompting people to rush outside in a stampede,‘’ police said. ”There were multiple non-life-threatening injuries during the chaos.”

No shots were fired, police said.

A family reunification was set up nearby.

More than 58,000 people were scheduled to be in attendance at the weekend event, which is hosted by Varsity Brands.

Hooper said he was in the coaches’ room when he began to hear screaming outside.

“My first thought was somebody did a good job and they’re excited because they scored high or something,’’ Hooper said.

“Then the doors flew open, and a flood of people started running and of course your instinct is run, just get out,” he said. “We got outside, and cops were directing us where to go.”

Four teams from ACE Birmingham – Warriors, Apaches, Braves and Commanches – were among the Alabama teams in Dallas.

“All that we know is we were evacuated,’’ Hooper said. “Obviously, it was a herd mentality and got out of control – everybody was running and trampling people.”

Hooper said some parents sustained minor injuries during the evacuation stampede – including one who suffered two broken legs – but said they were not from Alabama.

The competition was canceled for Saturday. Whether the competition will resume Sunday was still unknown, Hooper said.

Hooper said he’s already scheduled counseling to be available to the athletes when they return to Alabama on Monday.

“Every kid is different, and some have gone through different experiences,’’ he said. “So, we have some that are flying home and others that have chosen to stay in case we compete.”