VIDEO — Howard University Graduation Ceremony Ends as Attendees Try to Push into Crowded Venue

Nursing students at Howard University in Washington, DC, did not get to enjoy their special graduation ceremony on Thursday as people outside tried to shove their way into the crowded auditorium.

The ceremony ended as Cramton Auditorium reached capacity and loved ones who were locked outside tried to force their way into the building, NBC Washington reported Friday.

“While they were doing the keynote speaker, there was, like, loud banging, even before that, for like 10 minutes straight. Just like boom, boom, boom, boom, boom,” graduate Bria Flowers told the outlet.

Video footage shows the crowd of people chanting “Let us in! Let us in!” as some of them hold up their phones to record. When someone tries to explain that the building is at capacity, one man tells him some people drove a long way to attend the event.

“It’s y’all’s fault,” the man adds. The clip also shows the glass on a door that was apparently broken during the incident:

Dr. Gina S. Brown, dean of the College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences, explained to attendees that “because of the size of the room and because our relatives sometimes do not know how to act, the fire department is now here to shut us down.”

However, D.C. Fire and EMS denied that was the case and said crews responded to the building for a medical issue when campus police officers called them for assistance. Officials added that crews evaluated the patient but when the individual refused transport, they left the scene.

The graduation ceremony was rescheduled for Saturday at the Capital One Arena, according to DC News Now:

The university later issued an apology for canceling the event because of overcrowding, WJLA reported Friday.

Video footage shows the rescheduled ceremony at the arena that took three hours to complete. WUSA 9 reported it was the largest graduating class in the university’s history:

“I feel very happy. I feel like our voices were heard and we were accommodated well. I thank Howard for that,” one graduate said.