ATLANTA — An expert has responded to a state report about a MARTA escalator issue which led to injuries earlier this month.

Earlier this week, a state investigation found that four drive belts were missing from the motors on the escalator that failed, contributing to the incident on Tuesday, July 15.

According to a previous statement from MARTA, a person inside the MARTA Vine City location began screaming and running which sparked a panic that led to a stampede. Officials say the escalator reportedly sped up briefly before coming to a sudden stop.

The incident happened as many people were leaving the sold-out Beyoncé concert at nearby Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

“The number one thing that every one is overlooking is an escalator can absolutely overspeed because of different conditions such as overloading. But the thing is, you don’t have belts break of,” the expert said.

The panic led to one person suffering a broken ankle and seven people being hospitalized, officials say. One person declined medical transport.

Many city leaders voiced their concern following the incident, including City Council Transportation Committee Vice-Chair Marci Collier Overstreet.

“This incident was a near‑catastrophe. Dozens could have been seriously hurt or worse,” Overstreet previously said. “We don’t know the names of those hurt, but I hope that at the least MARTA is checking in on these people. One thing I do know: our city must understand exactly what went wrong to ensure this never happens again.”

Overstreet adds the public needs to be assured that MARTA is safe for all of the events the city plans to host.

MARTA has not commented on the findings in the report.