'I escaped shooting massacre after crawling into bowling machinery barefoot'
A man ran down a bowling alley lane and clambered into the machinery that retrieves the pins to hide from the Maine mass shooter.
Brandon - who did not give his last name - was putting on bowling shoes at Sparetime Recreation in Lewiston last night when shots rang out. He quickly fled after spotting the gunman and was barefoot for hours, having left his shoes behind. Police have released photos of the shooter - suspected to be military-trained firearms instructor Robert Card, 40 - who remains on the run, having killed at least 18 people and 13 more injured.
It's understood hundreds of officers are scouring the state of Maine in pursuit of him. Lewiston Police confirmed in a Facebook post that Card was a person of interest in the shooting and said he should be considered armed and dangerous.
Brandon said he hid in the bowling pin machinery to escape the gunman (ABC)At around 7pm on Wednesday, the man opened fire at the bowling alley. He then moved to Schemengees Bar & Grille around four miles away and continued his killing spree.
Brandon said he heard about 10 shots, thinking the first was a balloon popping. "I had my back turned to the door. And as soon as I turned and saw it was not a balloon - he was holding a weapon - I just booked it," he told The Associated Press.
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The shooter is believed to be Robert Card (Androscoggin County Sheriff's Of)He said he scrambled down the length of the alley, sliding into the pin area and climbing up to hide in the machinery. He was among a busload of survivors who were driven to a school in the neighbouring city of Auburn to be reunited with family and friends. "I was putting on my bowling shoes when when it started. I've been barefoot for five hours," he said.
Law enforcement officers carry rifles outside Central Maine Medical Center (AP)In a separate interview with ABC News, he said: "Well, we were inside, just a normal night of bowling, and out of nowhere he just came in and there was a loud pop. I thought it was a balloon, I had my back turned to the door, and as soon as I turned and saw it was not a balloon, he was holding a weapon, I just bucked it down the lane and I slid basically into where the pins are and climbed up in the machine and was on top of the machines for about 10 minutes until the cops got there."
READ MORE: Maine shooting UPDATES: Robert Card named as suspect after 18 killed in horror attack
The gunman stormed into Sparetime Recreation in Lewiston, Maine, on Wednesday night (mainesbdc)He went on to say: "I don't know how to explain it. I don't think you're supposed to see that in real life." Asked how many shots he heard, he said: "Over 10. At least I knew they were shots. And then when I got on top of the bowling machine it was a lot of ruckus back there. So I don't really know from that.
"But heard the first one, it was probably 15 feet behind me. I mean, he was close, very close. I just went there, just to bowl by myself. Yeah, I wasn't even there 10 minutes. I just walked in the place. I mean, I was putting on my bowling shoes when it started. I've been barefoot for five hours."
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