'Gunmen' Hired to Storm Movie Theater for Traumatizing Publicity Stunt
The promote its premiere of the new Iron Man movie, a theater in Jefferson City, Missouri, hired several people to dress in full tactical gear and storm the screening with fake weapons drawn.
Not surprisingly, some people were not too keen on the "publicity stunt."
"We're just getting into the car when I spotted a man in full assault gear, carrying what appeared to be a modified M-4 and 9 mm on his side," said John Molock, an army war vet who says the experience triggered his PTSD.
In addition to stoking the ire of theatergoers, the stunt also garnered poor reviews from the local police department which was forced to field several nervous 911 calls.
"We received a series of 911 calls stating that a man dressed in all black and body armor and a rifle was walking into Capital 8 Theaters," Capt. Doug Shoemaker told the local Fox affiliate.
"Everything was in place, it's the opening night of a superhero movie, it's somebody walking in all-dark clothes, everything pointed to bad things about to happen," Shoemaker added, referencing the Aurora movie theater shooting that took place last July. "There's really no good that can come of this."
But Capital 8 Theaters manager Bob Wilkins remains defiant, telling the ABC affiliate that he did not regret pulling the stunt, which he said was planned months in advance.
"My job is to entertain people," Wilkins said, claiming only "a few" patrons were upset.
Shoemaker noted that angry customers would have been the least of Wilkins' worries if someone with a concealed weapon would have mistaken the stunt for an active shooter event and acted in self-defense.
