Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, August 29, 1995 TAG: 9508290035
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LAURENCE HAMMACK STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Short
A fight between two men in the audience became so heated that the management of Valley View Cinema stopped the movie about halfway through and turned on the house lights, Roanoke police said.
But that did little to quell the disturbance, as at least two other men - no longer left in the dark as to what was happening - decided to join the fight.
As security guards struggled to maintain order, the theater manager decided not to restart the movie; at 10:48 p.m., patrons were told to leave.
As people were leaving the theater minutes later, witnesses said they heard what sounded like two gunshots in the area of the ticket booth. A security guard reported that he saw what appeared to be the flash of a gun being fired, authorities said.
But when police arrived minutes later, they found no shell casings, bullet holes or other indications that shots were fired.
No one was seriously injured during the fight.
The participants in the fight had left or were leaving along with the audience by the time police arrived, and no arrests had been made. Police said they did not know what started the argument between the two men.
A manager at Valley View Cinema declined to comment Monday, referring questions to the Carmike Cinema district office in Raleigh, N.C. A representative there could not be reached for comment.
"The Show," which opened Friday in Roanoke, is a documentary-concert film about rap music.
by CNB