Joker mask causes freak out at Boulder movie theater, teen facing charges
It's been less than four months since James Holmes fired shots during a showing of The Dark Knight Rises in Aurora, killing twelve and injuring dozens more in one of Colorado's worst tragedies. But that didn't stop one student from wearing a "Joker" mask into a theater yesterday, prompting a group of movie-goers to run away in fear. The student says he was trying to scare his friends, but Boulder police didn't find the gimmick all that funny. 
The Joker.
Officials with the Boulder Police Department reported last night that they arrested a seventeen-year-old male (he's a part-time CU student) after "five people...felt imminent fear for their personal safety and ran from the theater because of their fear."
The teen, whose name is not being released because he is a minor, was charged with five counts after the group of movie-goers at the Century Boulder Theater reported that the suspect donned a clown hat and a "Joker" mask inside one of the theaters.
In the immediate aftermath of the July 20 shooting at the Aurora Century 16 theater, there were a string of scares across the country related to the incident, with law enforcement officials launching evacuations and making arrests sparked by fears of possible copycats. In early August, for instance, a man was arrested in Thorton for bringing a gun to a movie theater, even though he had a concealed-carry permit.
Sam Levin Families of those who died in the Aurora theater shooting speaking at a press conference.
But given the connection to the Batman movie, it's no surprise that a Joker mask might lead to this kind of commotion.
Continue for more details on the incident yesterday in a Boulder movie theater.
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