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Author Topic: A "Real-Life Scary Movie" Charles Everett Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1470 From: New Jersey Registered: May 2001 posted 10-26-2003 12:22 PM                     That's the headline from today's Trentonian (Trenton NJ) newspaper. It describes a riot on opening night of Scary Movie 3 at the AMC Hamilton. According to the Trentonian, people who couldn't get into Scary Movie 3 made their way into The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. After that movie let out they went on a wilding spree: 7 robberies, 3 assaults, 1 theft, 1 criminal mischief. This spree spread from the AMC parking lot to a Taco Bell and a bus stop nearby. A 57-year-old woman leaving the theater had her car pelted with rocks and kicked at. Two teenage girls had to go to the hospital with facial cuts. Three teenagers were taken to the Mercer County juvenile hall on riot and robbery charges. Four other teens were charged with riot, theft, assault and criminal mischief; they were released to parents' custody. To make things worse, Hamilton Township police weren't aware of the wilding spree until police dispatchers got phone calls from witnesses! The cops had to call in backup from nearby Lawrence Township. According to the Trenton Times, police have had their hands full dealing with crime at the AMC Hamilton. In 2002 they had to deal with 33 burglaries, 13 thefts, 7 assaults, 3 robberies and 2 auto thefts.  |  IP: Logged Emma Tomiak Expert Film Handler Posts: 238 From: Carrollton, TX, USA Registered: Aug 2003 posted 10-26-2003 09:52 PM                        Last night, as always happens, a group of kids who just hang out began to accumulate in the lobby. Usually we make them go outside when we close the concession stand and the box office, but we just had a cold front and weren't going to make them leave until the concession stand was completely clean, most movies out, etc. Well, when Scary Movie 3 let out (from a sold out show of about 400 or so people), the kids from that movie just stood around in the lobby, and some began to climb up on some arcade game seats, yelling, and then began to rap and freestyle. Soon, people who had left were coming back in, and everyone was yelling, singing, screaming, and scaring the heck out of the staff. Myself and 3 other female employees (we were the only ones who would do it) went into the lobby and yelled for everyone to get out. Some left, but most just stood there, laughed at us, and kept on yelling. We have one police officer on weekend nights, and he was nowhere to be found. We were frightened because of the sheer number of people in the lobby and the unruliness of the crowd. Plus, they were climbing all over the games, most likely damaging them. We've had situations similar to this escalate into much worse, involving weapons and arrests, so you understand my anxiety. After about 15 minutes of this, an usher finally found the cop, who had been sitting about halfway up the stadium seating theatre watching Radio. Once he went into the lobby, the entire crowd RAN. They ran fast, too. Once they were gone, the cop went back into the back hallway. Kids were still outside, and some of my employees were yelled and cursed at when they left (after the cop had left for the night). What a night. Whew.  |  IP: Logged Pravin Ratnam Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 844 From: Atlanta, GA,USA Registered: Sep 2002 posted 10-26-2003 10:58 PM                     Does the cop get paid for freelancing at your theater? If so, he must answer to why he is so negligent.  |  IP: Logged Aldo Baez Master Film Handler Posts: 266 From: USA Registered: Mar 2001 posted 10-27-2003 12:01 AM                    I would have called the police the very second the crowd did not leave after you asked. That could have gotten ugly very fast.  |  IP: Logged James Falloon Film Handler Posts: 72 From: Wigram, Christchurch, New Zealand Registered: Oct 2003 posted 10-27-2003 04:04 AM                     Yeah safty first, no exceptions. A couple of weeks ago, we had a violent drunk start throwing punches at me and the manger when he tried to kick him out. it was the first time I've ever had to make an emergency call to the Police, and by the time they arrived, he had left. And all that could be done was to give him a 3 month tresspass notice. I was pritty shaken up for the rest of the night, but I definatly know that someone could have got hurt therefore I called the cops. No doubt that I'll have to again some day... If the cops had come the first time we called them (non-emergency) the whole situation could have been avoided. ah the joys of drunks and boring movies.  |  IP: Logged Paul Goulet Master Film Handler Posts: 347 From: Rhode Island Registered: Jan 2000 posted 10-27-2003 10:47 AM                        quote: ah the joys of drunks and boring movies. We had three 17 year olds trying to get into "Texas Chainsaw" on Saturday night. Cops were called and all three were arrested for being a minor in possesion of alcohol. We used to have a police detail at the theatre, but the Corp. office deceided it wasn't needed and they could save money by not having it. That shows alot of respect for the employees at that theatre, huh?!  |  IP: Logged Jeff Stuckey Film Handler Posts: 62 From: Oklahoma City, OK, USA Registered: May 2003 posted 10-27-2003 11:20 AM                     Man...maybe these people should be encouraged to come back on a weeknight. There will be plenty of seats then. I can remember one time when I was managing a second run house (with a reputation for things happening on a weekly basis), I had a problem with a really BIG BIG BIG guy. He was drinking and cutting up with his friends in the back of a theater. I had probably about 50 complaints about this guy, and people even walking out. When I went to talk to him about it, he and his friends threatened to "kill my white ass tonight". And that was all it took for me to call the police and get them gone. The great thing was the police told me that I never should have called them. That they were sick of coming to my theatre and handling stuff that the management should clearly be capable of. To this day, I still regret not getting his badge number.  |  IP: Logged Charles Everett Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1470 From: New Jersey Registered: May 2001 posted 10-28-2003 06:08 PM                     The AMC Hamilton installed a security system and color monitors 2-3 months ago. That came after the Hamilton mayor came down hard on AMC over the crimes being committed there. Now that the Scary Movie 3 riot has hit the press, Hamilton police are doing like NY/DC sportscaster Warner Wolf -- "Let's go to the videotape". They're checking security system tapes from Friday night to look for any additional suspects. The police are adding extra patrols in the area of the theater but have stopped short of putting in a substation (as some have wanted). To prove that the law is serious on this one, the mayor and the Mercer County prosecutor personally spoke with AMC management about the riot. AMC isn't the only one affected: According to today's Trentonian newspaper, nearby businesses have had to put up with troublemakers on Friday and Saturday nights since the theater opened. Last Friday -- before the riot broke out -- a bunch of yobs were throwing rocks at a supermarket and got chased away by the store manager. FWIW Hamilton now has more people than Trenton, the state capital and adjacent city.  |  IP: Logged

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