Witnesses reported hearing a series of shots around midnight Sunday at the intersection of Park and Chapel Streets and at least one person, a male in his late teens or early 20s, was handcuffed at the scene.

A New Haven Police Department officer at the scene refused to comment on the incident, and NHPD spokeswoman Bonnie Winchester was unavailable for comment last night. But two people on Chapel Street late Sunday night said they heard several gunshots before officers arrived and searched several men.

Sharon Madanes ’08 said she was drawing in Green Hall, a Yale arts building on Chapel Street, at around midnight when she heard shrieks and saw about 15 people running up Chapel Street. She said she heard around four or five shots but could not determine whether they came from a real gun.

“I wasn’t sure if they were gunshots or fake shots,” Madanes said.

Shortly after the shots were fired, Madanes said she saw NHPD cruisers chasing people toward Chapel Street and seven or eight men lined up against a wall in front of Green Hall. Police officers were frisking and questioning a group of men as Madanes walked outside, although it was unclear whether the men were later arrested.

Mike Schwab ’06, who lives on Chapel Street, said he did not witness a shooting but heard the gunshots outside at around midnight. He said he heard one shot and then several loud screams, followed by loud voices. He said eight shots were fired within a minute or two, eight shots were fired.

“They were in pretty quick succession,” Schwab said. “The last three were louder as though they were hitting a car.”

Schwab said he heard more screams immediately after the shots and then saw three people separately jogging up Park Street. He said he saw six to 10 people leaving the scene after police arrived.

Cat Tate DRA ’06 said she was not a direct witness to the events, but she spoke with fellow students at the School of Drama who witnessed the events and described them to her. She said witnesses told her that four men dressed in black walked to the corner of Park and Chapel streets and shot off cap guns. She said the witnesses told her nobody was shot.

Tate said the events are particularly troubling in light of the shooting of fellow drama student Theodore DeLong DRA ’07 on Aug. 31.