Utter chaos erupted at a movie theater in Florida on Valentine's Day when hundreds of teenagers stormed in after they were denied entry to see "Fifty Shades of Grey."
Between 100 and 300 teens under the age of 17 are believed to have participated in the Saturday stampede at the West Oaks Mall theater in Ocoee, the Orange County Sheriff's Office told the West Orange Times & Observer. When staff made it clear the minors could not enter the R-rated film without an adult, they rushed the theater and the mall's food court, police said.
Panicked mall-goers called 911, saying some of the kids were rioting and blocking the exits.
"There is a disturbance. There's may kids running around. There's many people running around at the West Oaks movie theater, and I think they've locked doors. I can't, we can't figure our way out," one 911 caller said, according to WESH Orlando.
Ocoee police arrived and dispersed the crowds without anyone being injured.
Only two teenagers were arrested as a result of the melee, one for battery and resisting arrest without violence for allegedly pushing a theater employee and another for alleged drug use. Reports of shots being fired at the theater were false, police told WESH.
Authorities noted that a lack of theater employees and established security regulations on how to handle rowdy children exacerbated the situation.
After the stampede, mall officials announced minors under 17 are not allowed on mall property without an adult after 9 p.m., the West Orange Times & Observer reported.
"All unaccompanied minors will be escorted off the property," Marketing and Special Leasing Director Anna Khavulya said.
