Owen considers himself a “hardcore” fan of “Weird Al” Yankovic. He’s so hardcore that he even has a tattoo of the master of the musical parody on his left shoulder.
On Saturday, the 32-year-old was looking forward to the 11 p.m. showing of the comedy “UHF” — which stars Yankovic — at the Logan Theatre. Owen, who asked to be identified only by his first name, grew up watching the 1989 film on VHS but had never seen it on the big screen.
But what was supposed to be a rare opportunity for Owen turned sour when a man who was being disruptive during the showing pulled out a gun after being asked repeatedly to be quiet.
“Did that really just happen?” Owen said he and other audience members asked each other after the incident and once they got to safety.
According to Owen and theater staff, the man walked into the theater with a woman about 20 minutes into the movie. The man started speaking to the woman loudly and someone got a manager, who asked him to quiet down.
But when the manager left the man kept being loud. Irked members of the audience then yelled at the man to be quiet. Owen said someone may have thrown a drink or popcorn at the man, and that’s when he stood up, revealing a gun in his waistband.
“He then stormed up the aisles while pulling out and cocking the gun,” Owen said, adding that he and a friend dropped to the ground after seeing the firearm.
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Owen, his friend and other members of the audience ran from the theater as the man walked back down the aisle and had his back to them, he said.
Chicago police said no injuries were reported in the incident. The man rushed out of the theater at 2646 N. Milwaukee Ave. well before officers arrived, but he left behind his cellphone, according to staff and police. No arrests have been made.
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Block Club Chicago was the first to report on the incident.
Dimitrius Nieves, who has worked at the theater for about a year, wasn’t working when the incident happened but was “shocked” when he heard about it.
“Why would somebody bring a gun to a movie theater where people come and enjoy their time?” he said.
Nieves said he’s now more vigilant when he’s working. “I think about if he’s going to come back or something like that. Or anyone, who knows?”
But Ana Torres, a theater employee for about a decade, said the incident didn’t make her think twice about her safety there.
“I’ve been here 10 years, and nothing like that happens here,” Torres said.
Owen said he “won’t be returning to the movies for a good long time” because of what happened. He said the incident underscores the need for stricter gun control regulations.
“If it can happen at a 11 p.m. showing of an obscure movie from 1989, it can unfortunately happen anywhere,” Owen said.
