A police inspector has provided an update as investigations continue into an assault on a teenage boy at a Lancaster cinema during a screening of the popular Minecraft film.
Det Insp Adie Knowles appeared on his regular Beyond the Beat segment on Beyond Radio on Tuesday evening.
This followed the assault at Vue Cinema in Lancaster on Thursday afternoon, during a screening of the popular 'A Minecraft Movie', a film based on the video game Minecraft.
Det Insp Knowles said the boy and his girlfriend were watching the film, and there was "an issue with a group of individuals in front of them disrupting the film and misbehaving".
"The girlfriend went out to report it to staff and the boy has been assaulted, to the point that he had bruising on his face and he had to go to the RLI to have his injuries looked at, and had a scan to make sure there was nothing else more serious going on," said Det Insp Knowles.
"That investigation is still ongoing, around CCTV and who the individuals were.
"There has been a bit of a trend of people attending the Minecraft film and when a certain character appears, they start throwing stuff around.
"When you start throwing drinks and stuff around, that could be constituted as criminal damage.
"Nobody wants this kind of behaviour. I suggest people knock it on the head.
"If anyone was in the Minecraft showing in Vue Cinema on the early afternoon of the 10th, please contact police on 101, or if you know who the individuals are and want to give the information anonymously, please contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111."
Det Insp Adie Knowles is pictured below
Police horses Rosehill and Hutton were outside the cinema on Friday as part of a patrol to tackle anti-social behaviour.
Lancashire Mounted Police posted on Facebook at the time: "There have been reports this week of several incidents when individuals have left the cinema after watching Minecraft.
"These have included incidents of damage and assaults."
But Det Insp Knowles said he'd spoken to the PC for Lancaster city centre, and "he wasn't aware of any other incidents reported directly to us".
Incidents at screenings of A Minecraft Movie have been reported elsewhere at UK cinemas, as young viewers copy a trend popularised on TikTok.
Viral clips have shown large groups of youngsters jumping out of their seats, throwing popcorn and drinks, and screaming, during a scene in the film showing the arrival of the 'Chicken Jockey' character.
Cinemas across the country have been warning customers against disruptive behaviour during screenings of the movie.
Beyond Radio has contacted Vue Cinema. A spokesperson said they will not be making a comment.
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