A Minneapolis man is accused of threatening to shoot up a Mounds View movie theater after an arcade game ate his money, authorities say.
The incident took place last Friday evening after Michael Deangelo Sanders, 30, put $20 in arcade machines at New Vision Theater and only got to play $2 worth, according to charges filed this week in Ramsey County District Court.
Frustrated that the machines wouldn’t give him back his money, Sanders reportedly sought reimbursement from theater staff.
When an assistant manager told him she could only give him $6 because the theater doesn’t own the arcade games, Sanders “blew up,” charges say.
He threatened to “shoot this (expletive) up” if she didn’t hand over the rest of his money, according to the criminal complaint.
Other people at the theater also heard him threaten to have “others roll up and shoot the place up,” the complaint said.
Officers who responded to the scene suspected Sanders might have been struggling from a mental illness or under the influence of drugs, and asked him what was going on.
He said “People who don’t give people their money should be shot,” and threatened to fight one of the officers, charges say.
One of the officers was able to deescalate the situation, and arrested Sanders.
The Ramsey County Attorney’s Office charged him with one count of felony level threats of violence.
He is expected to make his next court appearance in the case Nov. 13.
Sanders’ criminal history includes misdemeanor convictions for driving after suspension and possession of marijuana in a vehicle.
