Steelers players evacuated from theater after bomb threat
Yahoo.com March 1, 2006
HOMESTEAD, Pa. (AP) -- Members of the Pittsburgh Steelers were evacuated from a movie theater Wednesday night after of a bomb threat interrupted a private screening of a new DVD of last month's Super Bowl victory, police said.
Authorities evacuated the Loews Cineplex at The Waterfront in Homestead after the threat was received from an anonymous caller to 911, Homestead Police Chief Chris Deasy said.
"It said there was a bomb that was going to go off at a Loews theater," Deasy said.
The caller had a male voice and made no reference to the Steelers, Deasy added.
Minutes after the call at 8:03 p.m, police escorted the players out of the theater and spent about an hour-and-a-half searching the premises using at least one bomb-sniffing dog. They found no evidence of a bomb.
An estimated 1,000 moviegoers were also told to leave the cineplex.
The players included Ben Roethlisberger, Antwaan Randle El, Jerome Bettis and Hines Ward. Hall of Fame running back Franco Harris also attended the event. Steelers spokesman Dave Lockett said they all went home after the evacuation.
Earlier, fans greeted the players as they arrived with relatives and associates for the private screening of the NFL-produced film, which went on sale at Pittsburgh stores Tuesday.
"The ball's still rolling from the Super Bowl," Roethlisberger said before the screening.
He admitted he hadn't seen much of his teammates since winning the title Feb. 5 in Detroit.
"It's an opportunity to see these guys again and just relax a little bit," Roethlisberger said.
The video features footage of the Super Bowl -- from plays on the field to sideline antics -- and includes sound from microphones worn by some of the players in their 21-10 win over Seattle.
Earlier Wednesday, Bettis signed copies of the DVD for fans who had flocked to a local store. He said he would sign at least 1,000 copies.