A rumor sparked mass panic in the Huaycan district. Hundreds of residents rioted outside the Huaycan police station (Ate-Vitarte) after a rumor circulated about an alleged organ trafficking and child kidnapping ring operating in the area. The confrontation began when two pollsters (municipal workers) were captured by residents. They were accused of being members of a child kidnapping ring. Police reacted quickly, rescuing the two municipal workers, who were about to be lynched by the residents. Evidence proved they did not belong to any kidnapping ring. However, the rumor of organ trafficking and kidnapping rings had already spread throughout the Huaycan district, generating widespread panic. Hundreds of people of all ages demanded justice outside the Huaycan police station. This sparked a major confrontation with law enforcement. Tear gas was used to disperse the crowds of residents who resisted the order to calm the situation. Popular anger spread even further that night. Stones and sticks rained down, and the police had to use crowd control measures. Nothing stopped the protesters: they burned a vehicle, numerous people were injured on both sides, one person died from a stray bullet, there was property damage, collective panic ensued, and hundreds of people, both young and old, were arrested. Hours later, the police regained control of the situation. A sense of calm was restored, although this psychosocial episode left a lasting trauma on the residents of this district on the east side of Lima. It is worth noting that collective panic is a social phenomenon in which a group of people experience psychological or physical symptoms without a biological cause, capable of generating conflicts with serious consequences for their lives.