A man in Seattle was arrested Friday after assaulting two moviegoers with a gun inside a theater and sending panicked patrons running when he threatened to "shoot everyone," authorities said.
A man in Seattle was arrested Friday after assaulting two moviegoers with a gun inside a theater and sending panicked patrons running when he threatened to "shoot everyone," authorities said.
The theater evacuation happened just before 10 p.m. Friday at Regal Thornton Place when the 30-year-old suspect became angry when a moviegoer walked past his row of seats twice, FOX13 Seattle reported, citing the Seattle Police Department.
Seattle Man Arrested After Assaulting Moviegoers with Gun, Threatening to "Shoot Everyone
After the moviegoer passed a second time, the suspect yelled he had a handgun, pulled out the firearm and beat one of the victims with it, police said.
As other patrons attempted to wrestle the handgun away from the suspect, police said the magazine ejected, causing moviegoers to flee from the theater in a panic.
Seattle Man Arrested After Assaulting Moviegoers with Gun, Threatening to "Shoot Everyone
The suspect then yelled "I've got a gun," "I’ll shoot you" and "I'll shoot everyone," police said.
Police responded and arrested the "uncooperative, argumentative suspect," according to a police report.
Seattle Man Arrested After Assaulting Moviegoers with Gun, Threatening to "Shoot Everyone
Two victims of the assault approached officers for help at the theater. A 40-year-old male suffered a partially lacerated ear, and a 42-year-old woman suffered a head laceration. Both were treated at the scene before medics transported them to a Seattle area hospital.
Police said the suspect was "uncooperative" and "argumentative" during the arrest.
The 30-year-old suspect was booked into King County Jail for assault in the first degree, felony harassment and unlawful imprisonment, FOX13 reported.
The suspect's motive for the attack is still under investigation.
The incident comes amid a recent string of mass shootings in the United States, including the deadly attack at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York, and the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
In the wake of these tragedies, there have been renewed calls for stricter gun control measures, but such efforts have faced resistance from gun rights advocates.
The National Rifle Association (NRA), the nation's largest gun lobby, has opposed any new gun control laws, arguing that they would infringe on the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens.
However, a recent poll by the Pew Research Center found that a majority of Americans support stricter gun laws.
The poll found that 60% of Americans believe that gun laws should be stricter, while only 31% believe that they should be kept the same and 8% believe that they should be less strict.
The poll also found that support for stricter gun laws is higher among Democrats (84%) than among Republicans (38%).
