While many people were upset that the new Joker movie would incite violent outbursts at any number of possible showings, it seems it would be a much less likely film ended up being the sighting for a violent outburst instead. It appears that during a Birmingham theater screening of Frozen 2, a 13 year old girl was arrested among five others during a brawl that involved quite a few machete wielding youths.
The event occurred during a late Saturday afternoon while people were gathering to watch the all new Frozen sequel, when suddenly the brawl erupted. Audiences were then quickly evacuated from the area.
According to police, there were up to as many as 100 teenagers involved with the “major disorder.”
“Dozens of officers were sent to the complex after a 999 call just after 5.30pm reporting a group of youths with machetes,” a spokesperson for West Midlands Police said.
“Two machetes were seized during the trouble, which saw pockets of fighting and seven police officers left with minor injuries as they dealt with the crowds in and around the cinema.”
While police were attempting to discover the source of the disorder, they were greeted with a “very hostile response” that prompted them to use tasers. Many officers were left with facial injuries as a result, and there was even a knife recovered from a nearby roundabout.
Rachael Allison told the Press Association: “The police told everyone to leave the cinema as they held Taser guns in their hands and started to bring in guard dogs.
“I spoke to a policeman who told me it is unclear whether the kids had weapons and also stated when kids fight they bring their group of friends.“
Another eyewitness, Choleigh McGuire, wrote about the event on Twitter.
“There was a fight in the cinema … group of girls on one girl and it all escalated,” she wrote.
“The group ran into the cinema rooms to hide and a lot of police turned up.
“Has to be one of the scariest experiences of my life, so sad all the little children were there.”
That has to be one of the scariest experiences of my life, so sad all the little children were there! #starcity
— Choleigh Mcguire (@CholeighMcguire) November 23, 2019
Aside from the 13 year old girl mentioned above that was arrested, there was also a boy and girl both age 14, a 19 year old man, and another 14 year old boy that obstructed police who were all arrested.
Supt Ian Green, from Birmingham police, said: “This was a major outbreak of trouble which left families who were just trying to enjoy a night out at the cinema understandably frightened.
“We worked quickly to move the crowds on, but were met with a very hostile response and officers had to draw Tasers to restore order.
“Thankfully, the injuries to our officers were very minor. We’ve also recovered two machetes and a knife, and it’s clear that some of those who went to Star City last night were intent on causing trouble.
“We’ve had a great response from the public who have been very supportive of our officers.”
He also urged for people to send the police any photos or footage of the incident.
“We understand that families with young children will have been left upset by what they saw last night, but we urge people to appreciate that our aim last night was to protect the public and restore order, and that’s what we achieved,” he added.
Anyone who can submit information regarding the Frozen 2 machete brawl is asked to either contact police online or by calling 101, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.