HOWELL — The fact that Sunday night's reports of someone with a gun inside a movie theater turned out to be a false alarm doesn't upset the police chief at all, despite the large police response.

A disabled person in a wheelchair entered one of the theaters at the Howell Xscape cinema on Route 9 toward the end of a movie. The person’s caretaker was carrying a backpack containing a large battery pack for the wheelchair, which made a noise like a gunshot when it was placed on the floor, causing many to evacuate the theater and call 911, Howell police said.

Ten Howell police units along with Lakewood and Jackson police responded, joined by Southard Fire, Howell First Aid Squad, and Howell Police EMS.

Howell police chief Andrew Kudrick said the incident is a good example of why it is so important that if you "see something, say something."

The people in the theater felt they were in danger and didn't ignore it, he said.

"Although this was not a legitimate incident, all the patrons thought it was at the time," Kudrick said.

No charges have been filed in connection with the incident.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ.

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