Lancaster Cinemark Theater Robbed-Gunmen Still Loose
LANCASTER—Just hours after Lancaster residents and police celebrated a renewed sense of community spirit, the unthinkable happened. The Lancaster Cinemark Theater was robbed by three men, all dressed in black.
Around 11 p.m. on Tuesday, at the theater on the corner of Interstate 35 and Pleasant Run Road, the manage was robbed at gunpoint. According to reports, the men all dressed in black, forced the manager on duty into the office. He was violently assaulted, and the suspects absconded with an undisclosed amount of cash.
By the time SWAT officers arrived on scene, the suspects had already escaped. Police are now looking into surveillance video for possible leads.
The first suspect is described as a black male, between 6’ and 6’2” tall wearing all black clothing, a mask, and armed with a handgun. The other two suspects are described as black males between 5’5” and 5’7”, all wearing masks and all black clothing.
Could Robbery Be An Inside Job?
Police are wondering whether this robbery may have been an inside job. The three men were somehow able to get through the doors, even though they are locked at 11:00 p.m. when ticket sales end. Then, once inside the building, they immediately sprayed the surveillance camera with something. Due to the sabotaged camera and the armed robbers wearing masks, authorities don’t have good descriptions of the suspects.
In recent movie theater robberies this month in Albany, Ga. and Palo Alto, Ca., robbers either took money from the register behind ticket/concession counters or robbed patrons outright. The fact that this robbery was primarily in the office where a safe might be, indicates someone familiar with the interworking of the theater might be involved.
With assistance from Dallas County Sheriff Deputies theater patrons were evacuated. No one was hurt, other than the manager, who suffered facial and head injuries.
The three suspects are still on the loose. Police have called them armed and dangerous. Meanwhile, the movie theater has been operating as normal.
Police urge residents if they have any information that may assist in this investigation to contact Lancaster Crime Stoppers at 877-373-8477. Callers can remain anonymous, and are eligible to receive a cash reward if the information given leads to an arrest or grand jury indictment of a felony offender.
