SEATTLE — Moviegoers have serious concerns following a violent assault and panic inside a Seattle theater. Police have arrested a man they say pulled out a gun and threatened people inside that Northgate theater.
“A gun made an appearance, and we had to more or less run for our lives," said one man who didn’t want to be identified. He said he and his wife were one of about two dozen people inside theater 11 at Regal Thorton Place Friday night. Near the beginning of the movie a scuffle broke out.
"It sucks that it happens to you,” said the witness. “At the same time, though, my hope is that I live the rest of my life without ever having to come across this again."
Police said witnesses reported a man watching the movie inside the theater "felt wronged" by another man who walked past his row of seats. When the same person walked by again, police said a fight ensued. According to the police report, the victims were punched multiple times, with the male victim losing half of his ear and his girlfriend bleeding from her hairline.
Police said the suspect eventually pulled out a gun and made threats he would "shoot everyone in the theater." The witness KING 5 spoke with said that happened when one moviegoer tried to intervene.
"We see him put his hands up and say, 'Whoa man, it's cool, it's okay,'” said the witness. “And he starts retreating down the stairs and as he's making his way down, he starts letting everyone that's still there, there's a gun, there's a gun. And at that point everyone just breaks for it."
The witness believes the victims were able to eject the magazine from the gun. Afterward, the 30-year-old suspect tried to leave the scene.
"That's him, that's him. White shirt. White shirt. And pointed at the gunman who I think was trying to sneak out or walk out amongst the commotion and the police trained their rifles at him and arrested him," said the witness.
It was a scary experience at the movies that this man will never forget.
“There's a world out there where those three folks were not able to stop this person,” the witness said. “And they did start firing, and even if the other moviegoers were not the intended targets, who’s to say a stray bullet doesn't hit somebody and punches their ticket."
A King County judge set the 30-year-old suspect's bail at $150,000.
KING 5 does not name criminal suspects until they are formally charged.