CREVE COEUR, Mo. – Brian Finder took his 12-year-old daughter, 13-year-old son, and his wife, who is seven months pregnant, to see “Inside Out 2” on Saturday. What was supposed to be a normal family outing turned into a terrifying ordeal.
“We noticed a group of, I believe, three teenagers sneak into the movie,” Finder said. “They were clearly not part of the movie; hadn’t been there the whole time. They were jumping around seats, you know, acting like they weren’t there really to see the movie.
“Probably with about 10 minutes left in the movie, one of the individuals put on a ski mask (and) pulls what looked like a long rifle out of his backpack. It was colorful, but, you know, in the heat of the moment, we didn’t really know what was going on.”
According to police, someone pulled out a toy gun and began shooting gel beads into the crowd inside the AMC Theatre on Olive Boulevard. Finder said he immediately called the police.
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“It all happened super-fast. I’m just happy that they were able to catch the kid because this was obviously a very terrifying situation,” he said.
Creve Coeur police said they quickly arrested the boy in a nearby parking lot. They recovered the bead-launching gun and mask he was wearing. Since the suspect is under 18, the St. Louis County Family Court will determine what happens next.
“Whether through, you know, punitive action or maybe even just like having to face these families that he traumatized, understands the effect that he had by doing this. I’m not sure that there’s any one way to fix the issue,” Finder said. “On another note, I do think it was definitely eye-opening for me. Just like the security measures in the theater. How is this kid able to bring something like that in a bag into a movie theater full of people? That’s the terrifying part for me.”
Investigators said no injuries were reported.
FOX 2 has reached out to AMC Theatres for a statement on the incident and is awaiting a response.
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