Man Wearing a Ski Mask and Behaving Oddly Sends Hobbs Moviegoers into a Panic

I wanted to to share this article with everyone for a few reasons, mainly because it happened not too far from home, and the fact that this is becoming a recurring theme, whether through copycat incidents, or isolated events. The outstanding thing, however, is the reaction from the people and bystanders. There were some that enough presence of mind to take control of the situation and it ended without anyone getting hurt.

HOBBS, N.M. - It was an alarming weekend for moviegoers in Hobbs, New Mexico. Shortly after a movie started on Sunday night, a man inside one of the theaters put on a ski mask and started pacing back and forth in front of the movie screen, creating panic in the audience. Shortly after the screening of Zero Dark Thirty began, calls for help came into the Hobbs Police Department.
Chief Chris McCall said it was in reference to a subject wearing a mask who was armed with a gun. Moviegoers tells NewsWest 9 that a 20-something year-old man jumped up at the front of the auditorium, pulled a dark ski mask over his face, and then began pacing back and forth, terrifying the people seated inside. We're told people were running out of the theater as fast as possible. Simultaneously, a handful of people tackled him to the floor.

I'm glad no one was injured, but once again, this is being put under the guise of "mental illness". There are conflicting reports that this guy did have a knife or gun, but nothing was found.

As it would turn out, the man didn't have any ill intentions. "There were no weapons involved. There were no guns involved. It was a mentally ill individual," McCall said. We're told he had just been released from a mental health facility and this wasn't his first time making a scene in public. Officers know him well.

I'm not sure if that is true or not, but it does make one wonder and be concerned considering this town only has a population of about 40,000. Anyway, I commend the people for taking action before things escalated, even when they weren't sure what would happen.
This also stood out to me as well:

Russell Allen, the owner of the Eagle 9 theater, says nothing like this has ever happened inside of any of his theaters, but he wants to reassure viewers that they have several safety precautions in place. As a first line of defense, staff are supposed to keep their eyes open for any oddities. "We look for people that would be displaying unusual behavior, like carrying large bags and wearing coats during time of the year when it's not cold," Allen said. Allen also told NewsWest 9 that his staff checks each auditorium every 20 minutes to be sure everyone is behaving properly. Additionally, exits are monitored closely to be sure nobody enters illegally. NewsWest 9 asked Allen if he would consider arming staff inside his theaters. He says, "Well, that is not something that has come up before. I think that when you're talking about any kind of security, you need to put all the options on the table and that is one that I think is worth considering."

so, would this become the "new norm" now, that we would have to have armed guards in our movie theaters, schools, shopping malls and such?

Anyway, just wanted to share with everyone. Stay safe out there, and peace to you.
www.kwes.com...

It's sad to say but I believe it to be so... humanity has really outdone itself, that we can now claim the new 'going postal' is 'chucking a movie'..

To be perfectly honest, I am not surprised by it.. apart from how long it took.

It won't be long before there are insane restrictions on going to the movies. Which means less people going, more focus on home entertainment, larger tvs, and online movie rental skyrocketing.

And cue the fears; the bigwigs at blockbuster et al, grinning while being shown a presentation detailing how they will put crazy people in cinemas to drive the audience to dvd rentals. Insidiously evil, yet so far fetched to be believed.

sadly also, I don't see that as an unreasonable part of this reality...

reply to post by Veritas1

so, would this become the "new norm" now, that we would have to have armed guards in our movie theaters, schools, shopping malls and such?

As long as average citizens demand the right to not only arm themselves to the teeth, but also carry those guns around at all times, yeah, I'd say that's a reasonable expectation for the future.

Sad isn't it?