NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The investigation continues into a bizarre attack at an Antioch movie theater, where a man armed with a hatchet and an airsoft pistol unleashed chemical spray on a handful of moviegoers.
The incident happened around 1:15 p.m. Wednesday, at the Carmike Hickory 8 on Bell Road.
Officials with Metro police said 29-year-old Vincente Montano, of Nashville, walked into a showing of “Mad Max: Fury Road,” and attacked several moviegoers.
According to reports, Montano arrived at the theater 20-25 minutes before the film was scheduled to begin. He requested a cup of water, then sat in the theater and allegedly stared down two women.
After awhile, authorities said Montano approached those two women and doused them with pepper spray. He also reportedly struck a man, who had been sitting with the women and was identified only as 58-year-old "Steven," in the shoulder with a hatchet.
"Steven" gave a brief statement thanking all of those who responded and helped out, as well as asking for the public to respect his family's privacy. (WATCH: Victim In Antioch Attack Speaks)
A 911 call to dispatch described the chaos inside the theater.
“… He pulled out like a hatchet and started attacking this family and then he pulled out a gun and we all ran out of the theater,” a male caller said. (Listen To The Call)
Witnesses ran outside and asked nearby officers for help. Officer Jonathan Frith was the first officer inside the theater. Montano allegedly pulled a weapon, which later turned out to be an airsoft pistol, and reportedly fired at him.
In a statement Thursday, Officer Frith said he proceeded into theater four to actively engage Montano. That's when he heard three pops and felt pressure on his face. Officer Frith thought he had been shot, so he fired back and left the theater to call for back-up.
“I've got a job to do,” Officer Frith said. “I’ve got to save lives. If I have to, I have to, you know, I have to go in there and engage a target. That’s what I’m trained... that’s what they trained us here at Metro to do. You go in, and you have a situation. You're the first guy there; you’re the first four officers there? You’re going in.”
SWAT teams responded to theater four, which by that time had been filled with pepper spray. Authorities said Montano hid himself and refused to listen to any of the officers' commands. They added Montano hurled several items at the officers, including pepper spray cannisters, a propane cannister with a gash in it, and the airsoft pistol.
Montano reportedly ran out of the back door of theater with one hand under the duffle bag on his chest and the other hand still holding the hatchet.
That's when officers confronted him. Five of them started firing and fatally shot Montano.
A motive for the attack remained unknown. Other items found in Montano's possession included lighter fluid and lighters.
Authorities said they have not found a vehicle near or at the scene belonging to Montano, and they do not believe he had one. They added he did not have a Tennessee driver's license.
Witness video from the scene showed bystanders running from the scene, as multiple gunshots can be heard in the background.
Montano also had two backpacks with him. One was reportedly on him, another he left inside. A robot was used to detonate one of the bags and determined it to be a hoax.
Officials said Montano was known to have psychiatric issues, and he had allegedly been committed various times to facilities in the Nashville area. (Read More: Suspect In Movie Theater Attack Had Psychological Issues)
In 2004, he was arrested in Murfreesboro for assault and resisting arrest.
In a police report, his mother said Montano had been diagnosed by a Murfreesboro doctor with paranoid schizophrenia in April 2006.
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