Police arrested a man acting suspiciously during a screening of the film “Joker” at the Long Beach Towne Center Saturday night, authorities said.
Police were originally dispatched to the Regal Edwards movie theater, at 7501 Carson Blvd., at about 9 p.m. regarding a “shots call” inside, according to Long Beach police spokeswoman Arantxa Chavarria.
Arriving officers later found out that moviegoers watching the weekend premiere of “Joker” self-evacuated because of a “suspicious subject inside,” Chavarria said.
“The preliminary investigation revealed that during the presentation of the ‘Joker’ movie, a male adult subject walked to the front of the theatre while wearing a backpack,” Chavarria said. “As the subject was surveying the crowd, the patrons were fearful he was in possession of a weapon and ran out of the theatre.”
The man was detained without incident. He was not found to be in possession of any weapons but he was later taken into custody and booked on an outstanding warrant, officials said.
Violent Crimes detectives will be assisting in the investigation.
This is the second-“Joker” film-related incident to happen in the region this weekend. A Huntington Beach movie theater closed early Thursday after receiving a credible threat associated with the film, according to ABC 7.
The news outlet reported that some theaters are increasing security nationwide following concerns of threats on social media.
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