BANGALORE June 4. Six persons were injured when they jumped from the first floor of Abhinay cinema on B.V.K. Iyengar Road after a fire broke out during the screening of a Hindi film on Wednesday evening.
The incident occurred at 5.15 p.m. when 800 people, who were watching the film, Bhoot, observed thick smoke emanating from a room behind the screen, where old furniture and waste were stored. Sensing danger, people panicked and began to run. In the melee, some people jumped out of the windows on the first floor. Six were injured, two of them seriously. The cause of the fire was yet to be ascertained.
As soon as the fire broke out, the alarm went off, and policemen on the beat called up the fire services. To enable five fire tenders to reach the cinema, police stopped traffic on B.V.K. Iyengar Road, and this caused traffic snarls on other main roads and arterial roads in the Majestic area. The Deputy Commissioner of Police (West), G.B. Chabbi, and the DIG (Fire Services), P.S. Meena, visited the place.
The owner of Abhinay cinema, Tallam Nanjunda Shetty, said there was only minor damage. Mr. Meena said he and Mr. Chabbi would investigate whether the cinema management had followed the statutory fire safety norms. Mr. Chabbi said a case of negligence might be filed.
POLICE evacuated patrons from an inner-city cinema complex last night after a fire broke out in a jewellery shop in an adjoining building.
A police spokesman said the evacuation was a precautionary measure after a blaze started in the Bon Marche arcade on Barrack Street in the city.
The spokesman said although investigations were continuing, at this stage there were no suspicious circumstances regarding the cause of the fire.
Fire and emergency crews worked quickly to put out the blaze, which caused damage estimated at about $200,000.
At the Oakridge 3 in Vancouver a few years ago, fire alarms were a regular occurrence in that part of the mall on Friday nights. It would take security and the fire department at least 30 minutes to confirm the alarms were false, and because it seemed to happen always on a Friday, sometimes on a Saturday, regular customers got quite annoyed. It was finally discovered that the alarms were being set off by a nearby restaurant cleaning their ovens at that time, and the fumes from the cleaner were setting off the alarms. The cleaning procedures were changed.
FAIRFIELD - A kitchen blaze inside Rooster's, a new downtown restaurant that was closed, forced the evacuation of 100 moviegoers at the Community Theater next door.
Twenty-four firefighters from four engine companies responded to the fire, which was reported at 7:56 p.m., by an alarm company. It took 20 minutes to bring the fire under control, and then another two hours to check for hot spots and determine the cause of the fire.
A section of the Post Road as well as Unquowa Road were closed as a result of the fire.
Rooster's, which opened two days ago, had served breakfast and lunch, but was not open yet for dinner. The building at 1418 Post Road is owned by Norman Pollack of Fairfield.
"The fire was confined to the kitchen and extended into the duct work of the ventilation system for cooking," Fire Capt. Scott Bisson said. "Smoke did get into the Community Theatre building, which is next door. There was only minor damage to the Community," he said. "It was confined to smoke damage."
"There was heavy smoke damage throughout the building," Fire Chief Richard Felner. "Smoke was pouring out the windows [of Rooster's] when the first engine [company] pulled in."
Lake County Crime Stoppers and the Gurnee Police Department are seeking information regarding an attempted armed robbery.
At about 10:28 p.m. Aug. 8, a male between 5 feet, 10 inches and 6 feet tall, medium build, wearing a mask attempted to gain entry to the Subway, 5350 Grand Ave., Gurnee. He was armed with a handgun. He was last seen running from the rear of the building.
Also, Lake County Crime Stoppers and the Gurnee police are still seeking information regarding an arson.
On May 30, at about 10:10 p.m., an unknown person or people in theater No. 3 at the Gurnee Mills Gurnee Cinema started several seats on fire in the top row of the theater. The fire was extinguished with minor damage.
If you have information about these crimes or any other felony fugitive, call Crime Stoppers at (847) 662-2222. Also, abuse of the elderly is a crime, so let's not forget to report this type of crime as well.
If your information leads to an arrest you could be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000.
Crime Stoppers wants your information, not your name.
MOVIE-GOERS are being warned to hang on to their handbags after a string of thefts in city cinemas.
Visitors to cinemas, especially women, are being targeted by thieves because the darkened auditoriums with loud music and sound effects can distract people unaware they are being targeted.
Now police are warning customers to be extra vigilant and to keep their bags on their laps in a bid to curb the problem.
The Lucchesi family from Causewayside were victims of a cinema theft this week.
Heather Lucchesi, 37, and her husband Renato, 40, of Relugas Road, had taken their two young children, three-year-old Alba and Antony, four, to see Spy Kids 2 at the UCI in Kinnaird Park last week.
They thought they were the only people in the cinema for the 2.30pm showing and joked that they had the whole place to themselves.
But the visit ended in tears when the mum-of-two discovered her handbag had been rifled through and her purse and diary stolen.
She said today: "We were wearing 3-D glasses so it is hard to see and inside the cinema it is virtually pitch black.
"We did see two young men come into the cinema after the film had started.
"It wasn't until after the film had finished and I picked my bag up and something fell out that I realised someone had been in it.
"We alerted the staff and they phoned the police who told us there had been a spate of these kind of thefts.
"I think we were quick enough at cancelling the cards but we are not sure if they got anything or not."
She added: "If we had known there was a risk, such as signs clearly on display, then we would have been more careful.
"The management didn't seem that surprised but when we spoke to the police they said there had been a number of similar incidents at that cinema.
"It is disconcerting to think someone was creeping round the cinema - the management told us they hadn't even bought tickets, so they had sneaked through whatever security they have there."
A spokeswoman for UCI admitted there had been several incidents but claimed the company had done all it could to protect guests.
She said: "We do have signs up saying that thieves operate in the area but we are an entertainment business so we don't want to put up big screens advertising it.
"We have worked with the police to try to solve this problem and we do regret what has happened to this family.
"But we can't have a member of staff in every cinema as it is just not cost-effective and, while we do as much as we can, people still need to look after their own personal possessions. It is more a sign of the times rather than a reflection on the cinema," she added.
A police spokeswoman said: "We have received a number of reports recently of bags and belongings being stolen whilst the owners are sitting in the cinema.
"We would take this opportunity to remind people to be vigilant with their property at all times and take the necessary steps to keep it safe.
"During a film at the cinema it can be difficult to keep an eye on your belongings so we would urge people to ensure that they keep their handbags closed and on their lap or at least where they can keep in contact with them."
She added: "Should people notice anyone suspicious hanging around the cinema they should contact a staff member and make them aware."
An explosion inside a movie theater in northern Iraq has killed two people and wounded at least seven others. The blast in the city of Mosul occurred Wednesday as the theater was apparently showing a pornographic film.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack. Islamic militants have attacked some theaters in post-war Iraq for showing movies they consider immoral.
In Baghdad, a roadside bomb killed an Iraqi civilian and wounded at least 21 others. In other violence, the U.S. military says troops killed nine Iraqis in a series of raids around Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit.
Meanwhile, the condition of Iraqi Governing Council member Akila al-Hashemi is said to be deteriorating, five days after she was shot in an assassination attempt.
Fellow members of the U.S.-appointed council say doctors at an American military hospital are trying to save Ms. Hashemi, who underwent two operations after the attack and has suffered from severe internal bleeding.
Despite the ongoing violence, a new public opinion poll indicates the majority of Baghdad residents, 62 percent, feel the removal of Saddam Hussein has been worth the hardship they have endured since the war.
The Gallup Poll results also show that 67 percent of residents think Iraq will be in better condition five years from now than it was before the U.S.-led invasion. Only eight percent said they think the country will be worse off.
The survey was conducted through face-to-face interviews from August 28 through September 4.
Pawcatuck — Stonington police charged a 28-year-old man with robbery Wednesday night after they say he stole a cell phone from a boy at the Stonington Cinema on Route 2.
Sean P. McCormick, of no permanent address, was charged with third-degree robbery, second-degree larceny and breach of peace. He appeared in New London Superior Court Thursday.
According to police, McCormick took the cell phone from a boy whose father McCormick said owed him money. He told the boy he would return the phone when he got paid. Police said McCormick returned to the movie theater when he learned police were looking for him. Police said McCormick told them he was only joking with the boy.
Two masked men kidnapped a Lake Forest movie theater employee, then used her keys to rob the business of at least $5,000, authorities said Monday.
The unidentified woman was not injured in the 3 a.m. abduction Saturday at the Regal Foothill Towne Center Stadium 22 in the 26600 block of Town Centre Drive, Orange County Sheriff's Sgt. Mike Gavin said.
The woman, who had just taken a friend home and had returned to pick up something at the theater, was getting out of her car when she was accosted from behind by two men wielding a knife and handgun, Gavin said.
They forced her back into her car at gunpoint, covered her head and drove around the county for more than two hours, he said.
"We don't know where she was taken because her eyes were covered up," Gavin said. "They made threats and told her not to say anything or she'd get hurt. She was frightened."
Eventually, one of the men was dropped off someplace and the other man and the woman returned to the movie theater, Gavin said.
The man forced the woman into the theater, tied her up, then unlocked the safe and fled with between $5,000 and $10,000, Gavin said.
The woman freed herself about 7 a.m. and called authorities. Her car was found Monday by a patrol officer in a commercial complex in Lake Forest, several miles from the theater.
One of the men is described as Latino, about 5 feet 6, with a slim build and lettering tattoos on his neck.
The woman was not able to provide authorities with a description of the second attacker.
A man who claimed to be carrying a gun robbed the Eastway Plaza Cinemas of cash Saturday night.
The robbery happened shortly before 9 p.m. Saturday at the cinemas on Buffalo Road in Harborcreek Township.
A clerk at the cinema told police that a man walked in and said he had a gun. The man demanded that the clerk remove cash from his register and threatened to shoot the clerk if the clerk looked at his face, police said.
The man then ran out of the cinema with an undisclosed sum of cash.
He did not show the gun during the robbery, police said.
The robber was described as a black male in his 30s, 5 feet 11 inches tall and 180 pounds. He was wearing a tan baseball cap, a tan T-shirt and tan pants.
Anyone with information on the robbery is asked to call state police at Lawrence Park at 898-1641.
East Lyme –– Footprints left at the scene of an overnight burglary at the Niantic Cinemas led police to a suspect Friday who not only confessed to the crime, but also implicated his alleged partner, the police said.
Police arrested Matthew Blodgett, 17, of 17 Grand St., Niantic, and Leif Richardson, 18, of 115 Roxbury Road, Niantic. Both were charged with third-degree burglary, third-degree larceny and second-degree criminal mischief. They were each held on a $25,000 bond and were scheduled to appear Monday in New London Superior Court.
Early Friday morning, the owners of Niantic Cinema called police to report that the theater had been burglarized and that a safe and money had been stolen. Resident State Trooper Sgt. Michael Collins and East Lyme police arrived to investigate.
Footprints left at the scene led police to Blodgett, who confessed to the crime and implicated Richardson, police said. A police dog helped police find the stolen safe and money in the woods behind Methodist Street, police said.
(Cathedral City, CA) A suspicious fire shut down the Cinemark Movies 10 on Date Palm Drive in Cathedral City late Tuesday.
No one was injured and theater patrons and staff evacuated themselves prior to the arrival of fire crews about 9:20 p.m.
Cathedral City Fire Division Chief Mike Hatfield said it looked like someone started the fire in the back of the building by igniting a plastic pipe going into the structure.
Theater patrons reported they were watching the movie when the lights came on and fire alarms sounded.
There was smoke and water damage throughout the theater but no estimate on the damage was available Tuesday.
Electrical power to the theater building was shut off while fire crews investigated the blaze.
Three engines responded to the blaze.
PLAINVILLE --Police arrested a New Britain man Friday who allegedly stole credit cards from a woman's purse at Loews' Cinema in Plainville in September, and was caught on camera using one of the cards to buy gas.
Wilfredo Camacho, 35, of 1549 Corbin Ave., New Britain, was arrested at 6:50 p.m. Friday and charged with two counts each of illegal use of credit card, receiving from illegal use of credit card, sixth-degree larceny, identity theft and one count of credit card theft.
According to police, Camacho allegedly stole credit cards out of the purse of a woman who had accidentally left it at the movie theatre Sept. 26. Camacho then used one of the cards to buy gas at a service station in town around 1 a.m., and again at a station in New Britain around 9 a.m. the following day before the bank canceled the card.
Camacho paid for the gas both times using an automated pump, and never had to present the card to a station attendant, said Lt. Brian Mullins.
According to Mullins, police were able to eventually implicate Camacho after investigating footage recorded at one of the service stations.
"One of the places he bought gas from had cameras," Mullins said.
Camacho was released over the weekend on a $2,500 non-surety bond.
RALEIGH -- An unidentified man was shot to death outside a crowded movie theater Saturday night, and police had few clues as to a suspect or motive.
The incident occurred about 8:30 p.m. in the parking lot of Blue Ridge 14 Cinema at 600 Blue Ridge Road in West Raleigh. The theater, which shows second-run movies at bargain prices, is a favorite among students at nearby N.C. State University.
Investigators were tight-lipped about the case. They described the victim only as an African-American male but would not disclose his age or further description. Raleigh police Lt. Chris Morgan said he died of a gunshot but would not say if he was shot more than once.
"We received a call of shots being fired at 8:30 p.m.," Morgan said. "Officers arrived to find a victim with a gunshot wound. We're still in the very early stages of the investigation."
Police dispatchers put out a bulletin for an aqua-blue or blue-green older-model Ford Explorer that may have been driven by the suspect. The suspect was described as a man, 20 to 25 years old, wearing a white cap and a red shirt. The direction of travel was unknown.
Some patrons leaving the theater were shocked to see police tape and a body covered by a sheet; others came and went unaware of the slaying. The crime scene was in a far corner of the parking lot, well away from the theater entrance.
"I saw the tape and the police cars," said James Milligan of Wake Forest, who saw "Seabiscuit" with his two sons. "I knew something had happened. While we were in the movie, two ushers came down the aisles all the way down to the front and went back. I thought, 'That's odd.' "
Milligan said the shooting wouldn't discourage him from patronizing the theater. "You don't expect to walk out and see something like this."
U.S. Marshals have arrested a man suspected of murdering another man outside a Raleigh multiplex theater on Saturday night.
Marshals from the Fugitive Task Force captured Nathaniel Reed Mabry, 25, in South Hill, Virginia early Sunday morning. He allegedly shot and killed Charlie Greene, Jr., 36, in the parking lot of the Blue Ridge 14 Cinema.
The theater shows second-run movies and is a favorite among students at nearby N.C. State University.
Police haven't yet disclosed possible motives.