Cinema robbed at gunpoint

An armed man held up the cashier at Mat-Su Cinema Thursday night for an undisclosed amount of cash, then fled on a four-wheeler pursued by movie-goers and Wasilla police officers.

Wasilla police were dispatched to the theater just after 6:15 p.m., where movie-goers were buying tickets to watch the new release of Men in Black II. Employees and witnesses described a man between 18 and 23 years old who wore a stocking hat and a blue bandana over his nose and cheeks. He pulled out a gun, cocked it, and ordered the cashier to give him the cash from the register.

One witness, who called the incident in on his cell phone, told police the suspect turned the gun on him at one point when the witness laughed because he thought the request might be a joke.

The robber grabbed money from the cash register and put it in a bag. He wasn't wearing gloves, witnesses said, and quickly fled out the doors. He was described as white with a dark complexion, medium to muscular build, around 5-feet-8 to 5-feet-10 inches tall, and about 180-190 pounds. He also had short, light-colored hair.

Witnesses told police they saw him get on the four-wheeler parked on Old Matanuska Road. Several patrons followed the suspect and pursued him in their own vehicles at a high rate of speed down the Old Matanuska Road to the area of Dannys Way, which they relayed to police dispatch on cell phones as they drove.

Wasilla Police Officer John McNeal said thanks to their quick thinking, police and Alaska State Troopers were able to locate and recover the abandoned four-wheeler along with other important pieces of evidence.

Anyone with information on this robbery are encouraged to contact the police at 376-0606 or Mat-Su Crime Stoppers at 745-3333. Callers to Crime Stoppers do not have to give their name.