A 37-year-old Ohio man has been hit with a slew of weapons charges after allegedly bringing a loaded handgun, extra ammo and four knives to a “Dark Knight” screening.
Scott Smith, of North Ridgeville, was being held without bail after an eagle-eyed off-duty police officer working security for Regal Cinemas saw him carrying a satchel into a 10:00 p.m. showing of “The Dark Knight Rises” on Saturday, Lt. Ray Arcuri told The Plain Dealer.
The off-duty officer followed Smith into the Westlake theater showing a half-hour before the new Batman film was set to begin, Arcuri told the paper.
After asking to look inside the man’s satchel, he allegedly found a loaded Glock 9mm handgun, two fully loaded magazine clips and three knives.
Smith was also carrying another knife hidden in his clothes, police told Cleveland NBC affiliate WKYC Channel 3. Some reports said the theater's manager also assisted in flagging the suspect and searching his bag.
Asked why he was carrying the weapons into the theater, Arcuri said the man replied, "No problem. I'll put them in my car." He was arrested instead. Smith did not have a concealed weapons permit or criminal record, Arcuri told the Plain-Dealer.
The theater scare comes less than three weeks after the “Dark Knight” movie theater massacre in Colorado, and in light of it, the Ohio incident left some moviegoers shaken.
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"That's really scary. Wow," Jennifer Moore told WKYC. "It definitely puts you on high alert.”
Police said they later discovered a weapons cache at Smith’s house that included eight rifles and handguns, along with gas masks and bulletproof vests, according to the Plain-Dealer.
Smith faces various conceal-carry charges, according to reports.
