ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – Two teens were arrested over the weekend after they were accused of setting off fireworks inside a St. Augustine movie theater.
St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office investigators are still looking for a third suspect and released a photo of him on Facebook Tuesday.
The caption reads, “ATTEMPT TO IDENTIFY: The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office is currently seeking assistance in identifying a third suspect related to an incident that occurred at Epic Theatre in St. Augustine over the weekend. If you have information related to the identity of the pictured subject, please contact the SJSO Intelligence Unit at sointelligence@sjso.org or 911 for emergencies.”
The explosions happened as many people visited the theater for the debut weekend of a popular children’s movie, “The Little Mermaid.”
The sheriff’s office said it responded around 5:30 p.m. after getting multiple reports of an explosion inside a theater.
No one was hurt and the suspects got away before deputies arrived. When deputies got there, they briefly evacuated the building. There was minor damage to the theater.
It’s unclear what movie was showing at the time the fireworks went off, but one person on Facebook under the Sheriff’s Office Community Alert said, “My grandchildren, ages four and five, were in that theater watching a children’s movie. They are traumatized by this event.”
“I couldn’t believe it. I mean that’s just absolutely ridiculous that they would do that,” said one woman who brought her grandchildren to the movie theater Monday after hearing about the incident.
She said she imagines it was triggering and thinks theaters should consider checking bags.
News4JAX tried speaking with Epic Theater management but they didn’t want to comment on Monday.
Two of the teens were found in an area of U.S. 1 near Wildwood Drive where the sheriff’s office said they were lighting illegal fireworks. They were arrested and accused of arson and disorderly conduct, but some say they don’t think that’s enough.
One Facebook comment said the charges are weak considering the panic and chaos that could have resulted in injuries.
News4Jax Crime and Safety Analyst Lakesha Burton said the charges are appropriate and can be upgraded by the State Attorney’s Office.
“Parents need to really take time to talk to their children this summer and tell them the dos and the don’ts because these are very serious charges. You’re talking about arson, disorderly conduct and felony possession of marijuana so parents need to know what their children are doing at all times and who they are hanging with,” Burton said.
The moviegoer who spoke to News4JAX on Monday hopes those teens are held accountable.
“I hope that they get some help for those boys because they need a little bit of empathy and understanding about what’s frightening for people and how terrible that is to do something like that,” she said.
Other comments on that Facebook post said that some people were in the movie theater when it happened but didn’t know anything was going on.
If you have information on the third suspect you are asked to call the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office.