On Friday, April 28, 2006 at 4:40 PM, twelve Companies of Los Angeles Firefighters, six LAFD Rescue Ambulances, two Hazardous Materials Task Forces, three EMS Battalion Captains, two Battalion Chief Officer Command Teams and one Division Chief Officer Command Team, under the direction of Assistant Chief Roy Kozaki responded to a Hazardous Materials Investigation at 6081 Center Drive in Westchester.



Firefighters arrived quickly at The Promenade at Howard Hughes Center and were directed to The Bridge: Cinema De Lux,a multiplex theater.

According to witnesses, one person noticeably and abruptly fled an upstairs theater after which an irritating odor and respiratory discomfort ensued among several of the forty remaining patrons who had been watching the movie "United 93".

With the guidance of theater personnel, these patrons were moved to the large lobby area and sequestered pending the Fire Department's arrival.



Los Angeles Police Officers arrived promptly and secured the perimeter, as Joint Command was established. Firefighters walked the forty patrons outdoors and swiftly triaged, tagged and documented their status.



None were experiencing a life-threatening illness or injury.

Though patrons and witnesses surmised that there may have been a brief discharge of an irritant like pepper spray, LAFD Hazardous Materials experts with sensitive monitoring equipment found no evidence of a lingering chemical hazard or toxic substance in the auditorium.



Bystanders and guests from other theaters were kept apart those effected, as it was subsequently determined that only two adult females, with general malaise secondary to nausea, were desirous of further treatment.

They were later transported by LAFD ambulance to area hospitals.

The remaining patrons, declining transportation, were politely referred to Police officials for interviews prior to their departing the scene. With approval by the County of Los Angeles Fire Department's Health Hazardous Materials Division, the theater was returned to the control of theater management.

There were no other civilian or Firefighter injuries associated with this incident, which remains under formal investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department.

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Submitted by Brian Humphrey, Spokesman
Los Angeles Fire Department