3 arrested in separate 'Dark Knight' incidents
At least 3 men accused of making threats during or after watching the new Batman movie have been arrested in separate incidents, underscoring moviegoers' anxieties and heightened security in the wake of a deadly mass shooting at a Colorado theater showing the film.
A Maine man was arrested when he told authorities that he was on his way to shoot a former employer a day after watching "The Dark Knight Rises," Maine state police said Monday.
Timothy Courtois of Biddeford, Maine, had been stopped for speeding, and a police search of his car found an AK-47 assault weapon, four handguns, ammunition and news clippings about the mass shooting that left 12 people dead early Friday, authorities said.
Former graduate student James Holmes, 24, is accused of opening fire in a theater in a Denver suburb. The shooting also injured 58 people.
Courtois said he had attended the Batman movie on Saturday, although police have not confirmed whether he actually saw the film.
"I guess we're taking everything at face value," State Police Lt. Kevin Donovan said. "It's very scary."
Police searched Courtois' home later Sunday and found a machine gun, several other guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition.
"We don't know what his true intentions were," said Steve McCausland, spokesman for the Department of Public Safety. "Based on the arsenal that was confiscated, we brought in our counterparts from the FBI and ATF to assist with the investigation."
Courtois was charged with speeding and possession of a concealed weapon.
In Southern California, a man at a Sunday afternoon showing of the film was arrested after witnesses said he made threats and alluded to the Aurora shooting when the movie didn't start.
Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies were called to a cinema complex in Norwalk after moviegoers said 52-year-old Clark Tabor shouted: "I should go off like in Colorado." They said he then asked: "Does anybody have a gun?"
A security guard saw Tabor with a backpack on his knees in the second row, but deputies who searched the bag, the theater and its surrounding area did not find any weapon.
Separately, moviegoers in Sierra Visa, Ariz., panicked when a man who appeared intoxicated was confronted during a showing of the movie. The Cochise County Sheriff's office said it caused "mass hysteria" and about 50 people fled the theater.
Off-duty Border Patrol agents tackled Michael William Borboa, 27, who had a backpack with him, according to The Arizona Daily Star. Authorities said it contained an empty alcohol container and a half-empty moonshine bottle.
Borboa was arrested on suspicion of disorderly conduct, and threatening and intimidating.
Despite some jitters over the horrific shooting, moviegoers around the country still flocked to theaters to see the film, which was the final installment of the phenomenally successful Batman trilogy. Warner Bros. reported that it brought in $160.9 million over the weekend, making it the third highest opening weekend ever, after "The Avengers" and "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2."
A Maine man was arrested when he told authorities that he was on his way to shoot a former employer a day after watching "The Dark Knight Rises," Maine state police said Monday.
Timothy Courtois of Biddeford, Maine, had been stopped for speeding, and a police search of his car found an AK-47 assault weapon, four handguns, ammunition and news clippings about the mass shooting that left 12 people dead early Friday, authorities said.
Former graduate student James Holmes, 24, is accused of opening fire in a theater in a Denver suburb. The shooting also injured 58 people.
Courtois said he had attended the Batman movie on Saturday, although police have not confirmed whether he actually saw the film.
"I guess we're taking everything at face value," State Police Lt. Kevin Donovan said. "It's very scary."
Police searched Courtois' home later Sunday and found a machine gun, several other guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition.
"We don't know what his true intentions were," said Steve McCausland, spokesman for the Department of Public Safety. "Based on the arsenal that was confiscated, we brought in our counterparts from the FBI and ATF to assist with the investigation."
Courtois was charged with speeding and possession of a concealed weapon.
In Southern California, a man at a Sunday afternoon showing of the film was arrested after witnesses said he made threats and alluded to the Aurora shooting when the movie didn't start.
Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies were called to a cinema complex in Norwalk after moviegoers said 52-year-old Clark Tabor shouted: "I should go off like in Colorado." They said he then asked: "Does anybody have a gun?"
A security guard saw Tabor with a backpack on his knees in the second row, but deputies who searched the bag, the theater and its surrounding area did not find any weapon.
Separately, moviegoers in Sierra Visa, Ariz., panicked when a man who appeared intoxicated was confronted during a showing of the movie. The Cochise County Sheriff's office said it caused "mass hysteria" and about 50 people fled the theater.
Off-duty Border Patrol agents tackled Michael William Borboa, 27, who had a backpack with him, according to The Arizona Daily Star. Authorities said it contained an empty alcohol container and a half-empty moonshine bottle.
Borboa was arrested on suspicion of disorderly conduct, and threatening and intimidating.
Despite some jitters over the horrific shooting, moviegoers around the country still flocked to theaters to see the film, which was the final installment of the phenomenally successful Batman trilogy. Warner Bros. reported that it brought in $160.9 million over the weekend, making it the third highest opening weekend ever, after "The Avengers" and "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2."
if people can build cars from scratch then they should have no problem modifying a semi to a full automatic weapon. if the government outlaws certain guns and magazines all that will do is make them twice as expense on the street to buy and it won't stop people who know how from making their own. All it will do is make it harder for a business man or woman in the lawful  gun business to make a living. What this country needs is a better mental health program. locking the mental cases up in jail only to release them after a few days or months or years does nothing to help them or protect society.
This is just a massive conspiratorial plot by Marvel comics to make sure that DC comics' Â Batman cant' get anywhere near the box office numbers that their Avengers movie did.Â
Since when do theaters allow you to bring in backpacks? And if they do why aren't the being searched? I know the ticket takers at our local theater check my wife's purse for smuggled candy.
Whatever happened to good ol'.... "Fire!!"...???
 @SandyBeach Really, seems kind of lame now doesn't it?
I'm pretty sure that if we had public executions on national tv, a lot of killers would be thinking twice before they take a life!
 @Lew It'll never happen. It'd undoubtedly hurt someones feelings.
Be like Batman always, not Joker, not Bane, and definitely not the mass murderer in Colorado... Â -Your Friend: Dark Knight-
So are these actually related to the mass shooting or are we just trying to relate them in order to scare the public? Seriously?
I just want to say that only one of these happened during the movie... the rest are just random sistuations...
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Nothing is realated to the movie or what the movie is showing. I honestly feel that we should be thinking about the people in Colorado, were there was a shooting and people were hurt and stop connecting the movie with people stupidity.
Screw Batman, I watched Ted, much much better and funnier
 @Larry*X*K I wouldn't doubt it was funnier than Batman, since I never considered Batman to be a comedy.
 @Zoso Well it should be considered as such
Are these incidents really related, or is the media making them related?... Â
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Firearms are not bad.. single shot, semi auto, or fully auto... they are not bad, it is the people who wield such things that are bad.. Â (the only thing bad about a fully auto firearm, is the effect on the bank account to feed it)
media.... even the shooting in CO was not realted to the movie, He just knew the place would be packed and that is why he picked it.
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 @Mr. H How does the media make them related? Would you want them to write a separate news story for all three incidents that clearly have the exact same object?
insanity everywhere
Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies were called to a cinema complex in Norwalk after moviegoers said 52-year-old Clark Tabor shouted: "I should go off like in Colorado." They said he then asked: "Does anybody have a gun?"
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Leave it to the average American to over-react and panic over a little distasteful sarcasm. Americans are the wimpiest, whiniest babies I've ever seen. My God.
@Sovereign
Apparently this guy does not have a filter in his brain that tell him to keep stupid comments like that to himself, and as for youur comment about americans being whimpy whiney babies, if you dont like that then by all means get the hell out of the country!
 @Sovereign and you know this for a fact
I get why news outlets identify people who are officially charged with crimes. But in copycat cases like these, where the suspects are likely seeking exactly this sort of attention, I wish the news would decline naming them. The names of these yahoos make little difference to most people, and the information is publically available for those who want to know badly enough.
From the cracks of the world they shall come.. I remember back in the seventy's, I went through a gate at Seatac and mentioned a bomb...( It was a bag of cookies) Even then wrong thing to do.. I had to go through a metal detector, frisked and told it was not funny and surely it was not..
What the bloody hell is wrong with people these days???  Isnt life complicated, scarry and stressful enough without some hotheaded wack job making it tougher?  Going to the movies ought to be about relaxing and enjoying the movie. Before you know it there will be metal detectors at every movie theater, and thats a shame. Somewhere along the line we have lost all regards to human life, and those people that commit crimes like this have no fear of consequences.  Theres the problem in a nutshell.......
@mpatrick Only one out of these three was actually a violent person, and he wasn't going to do any random killing either. The other two were just wackos popping off at the mouth.
 @virtual anomaly  @mpatrick Freedom of speech, just watch what you say. i was in the airport once and there was a sign stating that even to joke about a bomb was a crime. The girl in front of me said "oh yeah, right, like there's a bomb in my teddy bear"
I remember when the first Rocky movie came out, there were a spike in fights, particularly in the predominantly Italian American areas.
There is so much violence everywhere you look now. Look thru the TV Guide and is sad how many shows are about people who have committ crimes and how much are fictional stories about violence.
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All the unimaginative morons can sure taint a good movie and what used to be a wholesome activity, going 2 a film. What ugly times we live in . . . makes some folks want to rent and see films at home. Oh, but wait, you could have a home invasion there too! I'll take my chances at a movie theater while they are still around. I hope movie theaters don't go way of the dodo bird, or beta tapes.
 @alexcrowley I rent and watch at home just because it's cheaper, but I totally agree with your statement. No way I am going to be discouraged from engaging in an activity I like because some whack job may or may not be a threat at some point. Now I think I'll  try to go to the theater more often to watch a movie.
 @alaska_dreamin Same here, we rent & stream alot as I do Netflix as it's most economical and have a great set up at home for entertainment (plus I don't have to wade thru commercials). But nothing compares to the energy of an audience at an IMAX theater for instance. That being said, I really don't want to see movie theaters being hijacked and becoming obsolete because of (((FEAR))). I will still see films that interest me in their intended original format; a big screen with great sound. However the world 5 yrs from now? Who knows, but for now I won't let a few rotten apples spoil my movie going experience, have higher chance of getting in a car accident than being hurt at the movies.
 @alexcrowley Good for you, living life afraid of what could happen is no way to live. I feel the same way, and I sincerely hope that this doesn't have a negative impact on peoples willingness to go see a movie at the theater. I was going to use my credit card reward points for a restaurant gift card, but I just them in for an AMC gift card instead. :-)
"Machine Gun"? That is defined as a fully automatic firearm. As long as the trigger is pulled it will fire what rounds it has. It probably was just a completely legal semi-auto AR15 that the media wanted to "make more exciting".
 @Gadsden That AK-47 might have had an auto-sear installed or a shaved sear converting it to full auto, it's illegal to have. An auto sear block is considered by itself to be a machine gun according to the ATF.
 @backinmyday They claim to have found the AK in his car and a "machine gun" later, in his home. I see your point though.
@Conservative liberal "I agree with 777 about the gray area between gun rights and the idiots that own guns" That was my statement to "Gadsen and Hr H".
What I meant by well established, is the number of gun ownership is almost the norm. More people own guns and the fear of them is diminishing. I left out the word "country" between "this" and "is".
So what I say is, the idea of banning guns is moot, it will never happen and that "slippery slope" arguement is moot as well.
@snoopy84
Could you please explain your second sentence ("You people have no clue how well gun ownership in this is so well established.")? I agree with 777 about the gray area between gun rights and the idiots that own guns - there needs to be some "common ground" here as is stated by 777. You seem to still be off your meds pertaining to strange mood swings or still drinking with the 520 bridge crew...
@777 This the paranoid right wing gun owner NRA atitude. You people have no clue how well gun ownership in this is so well established. There is not a person running for office that would put gun controll anywhere near them-they won't win or they get voted out. When the assualt rifle ban came in, that was it. it did go to the next level people like you thought it would. The thought of banning all guns is like the most insane idea I ever heard. Would you hand your guns over? I wouldn't.
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To say machine gun sounds scary-this is opposed to the friendly sounding AK-47 Assualt rifle?
@Mr. H @Gadsden @backinmyday "Yes, it is a bit odd to be carrying clippings of the Colorado shooting, but, it is his right, to be armed in such a manner"
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I did pose that question to see how it would answered. I had a roommate in the Air Force, we shared a condo near Luke AFB in Arizona. This guy was a loner and loved weapons and motorcycles. Saturday morning he would load himself down with hand guns and rifles. At least one handgun openly holstered and a rifle slung over his back along with ammo.He would go out into the desert and shoot until he was out of ammo come home and clean his guns. Myself and none of the others around that condo ever felt he was a threat or would ever hurt anyone and far as I know to this day he hasn't. This was back in 75. I tell you because I remember there was a shooting in Pheonix and we were watching it on the news and he made the comment "this guy is stupid and has no right to have a gun". This is what we should be talking about, the gray area between gun rights and idiots who own guns. NRA people won't even discuss it-that is wrong. I'm a gun owner and I beleive it is time to talk about it.
The law for Maine Machine Gun ownership:
It is lawful to possess a machine gun that is legally registered and possessed in compliance with all federal laws and regulations.
It is unlawful to hunt with or possess an automatic firearm while hunting.
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There it is. Simple and sweet.Â
@snoopy84 Because the liberal news media has an agenda to hype up their news reports and has a hidden agenda to ban firearms. When they say "Machine Guns" it sounds scarier and the laypublic thinks, "You mean those are legal? I don't see a purpose for hunting! We should ban them!" But somehow semi-autos are also grouped into the same class and seen as evil. That's how the old Clinton gun ban happened. The liberal news media is good at tricking the public, but it's smoke and mirrors. You're right it doesn't matter what weapons victims are attacked with, but the gun control and media will take anything to get them closer to banning all guns.
 @snoopy84  @Gadsden  @backinmyday A machine gun, is a fully automatic weapon.. Illegal to own without a background check, and paying the tax for the ability to own a fully automatic firearm.Â
The firearm does what it was designed to do, expel a high velocity projectile.. so the inanimate tool is used by someone who has behavior problems.. It is that person who "mows people down" as you so state, not the firearm, as it it just a tool used to accomplish the users desires.
Yes, it is a bit odd to be carrying clippings of the Colorado shooting, but, it is his right, to be armed in such a manner. Now, the combination of any threats, makes it entirely different. Such threats, without being armed, are not to credible.. however being armed makes them credible, and also is a violation of law, so lock him up... (possibly in a nut house because there may be some anger issues)
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@Gadsden @backinmyday So, "Don't tread on ME" Most of the people making a big deal out of gun control is the "right". Yea, the news media makes a news report, that is news. Anyway, they say the police find an AK-47 assault weapon among other items. You throw your 2 pennies in and makes sure they got the weapon right and then take issue with the term "machine gun" . So what is the difference to a victims if they are mowed down with a "machine gun" or a "semi-auto AR15". Also, do you find it normal for person to armed in this fashion and carrying clippings of the movie shooting. This is a trick qustion.
 @backinmyday I am not, I just like the motto "Don't Tread On Me".
 @Gadsden Are you from Gadsden Alabama? If so, I am too.
 @Gadsden Its possible they couldn't tell at the time if it was a full auto AR. AK's are easier to tell with the 'evil 3rd hole'
 @Xirxious It's possible, and of course the media is going to over-hype instead of error on the side of caution.Â
"So tell me Johnny...where do you see yourself in 10 years?"Â "I aspire to be a copycat for a mass murderer"
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How's that for a resume builder? <shaking my head>
Think I"ll wait for this one to come out on video.
"Timothy Courtois of Biddeford, Maine, had been stopped for speeding, and a police search of his car found an AK-47 assault weapon, four handguns, ammunition and news clippings about the mass shooting that left 12 people dead early Friday, authorities said."
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What did they expect when the media makes dirtbags like this famous by putting their name and face on every news channel and paper in the nation.
 @FBrumfield Honestly, isn't it easier on everyone when the idiots call in first and announce their intentions? How serious could he have been if he told the cops his intentions? Hopefully he will lose his rights to own firearms.
 @FBrumfield Because hey, no one wants NEWS in the media... smh