An outdoor showing of “Jurassic Park” at Alethia Tanner Park in Northeast on Wednesday was canceled after teens set off fireworks aimed at the audience.
Advisory Neighborhood Commission 5F Chair Joe Bishop-Henchman said on social media that six teens threw the fireworks into the crowd watching the movie, part of a series of weekly showings at the park.
The crowd panicked, and at least one person’s blanket caught fire, Mr. Bishop-Henchman said, injuring their foot.
Witness Joshua G. told Maryland’s WDVM-TV that the fireworks started going off 30 minutes into the movie and that, after a brief pause and restart of the film, the teens set off additional fireworks.
Another witness and event attendee, Freddie Montgomery, told Washington’s WJLA-TV that “it just turned into a really scary frenzy, where everyone just started getting up and running; families, people with dogs, kids were all just kind of in panic.”
D.C. Councilmember Zachary Parker, Ward 5 Democrat, wrote on social media that it was a “horrific incident. … Creating chaos, panic, and injury in our communities is unacceptable, and I remain committed to supporting District agencies in keeping Ward 5 neighborhoods safe and holding last night’s perpetrators accountable.”
The Metropolitan Police Department told WJLA-TV that an investigation is underway.
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