Chaos erupts as hundreds refuse to follow emergency evacuation order near State Fair

Thousands of Great American State Fair attendees were ordered to evacuate the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Saturday amid a Severe Thunderstorm Warning, but according to The New York Times, hundreds are refusing to follow orders and creating a “chaotic scene.”

“Some are even arguing with Secret Service agents,” wrote the Times’ Aishvarya Kavi, reporting from the scene. “An officer is sternly repeating the evacuation order over a bullhorn, and the crowd is booing. Many have begun chanting ‘U.S.A., U.S.A.’ One man blamed the situation on ‘liberals in the weather service,’ adding, ‘I think this is baloney.’"

The Secret Service has suspended all checkpoint operations at the National Mall due to dangerous weather conditions, the agency said in a statement, according to the Times. Attendees are reportedly being shuffled into “nearby Smithsonian museums and federal buildings,” with officials "scrambling" to get the thousands of fair-goers to safety.