FAIRFAX, Va. — According to authorities, someone set off two soda-bottle chemical devices at a movie theater complex in northern Virginia on Sunday, frightening patrons who fled after hearing what sounded like firecrackers or gunshots.
Fairfax County police spokesman Lucy Caldwell said no one was hurt, but about 2,000 people were evacuated from the theater and food court early Sunday.
Police said moviegoers called 911 and reported suspicious “popping noises” about 12:15 a.m. Sunday at the AMC Tysons Corner 16 theaters. Caldwell said the investigation continued and anyone with information could contact police.
Deputy Chief Mike Reilly of the Fairfax County Office of the Fire Marshal said the devices were made out of a plastic bottle with a metal and an acid inside that reacted and exploded. Bystanders can be injured by flying plastic when the bottle explodes or as a result of the acid inside, Reilly said.