Three Toronto-area movie theatres were evacuated Tuesday evening after unknown substances were released, with incidents reported in Brampton, Vaughan and Scarborough.
The first incident happened in Brampton, with Peel Regional Police reporting that officers responded to a theatre in the area of Great Lakes and Bovaird drives, just east of Highway 410, at around 7:41 p.m.
Police said an unknown substance was reportedly sprayed inside the building, which was then evacuated.
No serious injuries were reported.
No arrests have been made in that case but officers are continuing to investigate.
Peel police said it’s unknown if that incident may be linked to the other two, but added that investigators are aware of the cases in York Region and Toronto.
Less than two hours later, at around 9:20 p.m., officers in York Region responded to a movie theatre complex in the area of Highway 400 and Highway 7.
York police said “numerous” moviegoers started coughing after an unknown substance was sprayed inside a theatre by two male suspects.
Police said the suspects, wearing masks and hoods, entered the theatre after the movie started playing and sprayed “an unknown, aerosol-based, irritating substance into the air” before fleeing.
Around 200 people were inside at the time watching an Indian Hindi-language film, police said.
Emergency crews responded, the theatre was evacuated, and several people were treated for exposure to the substance, police said.
No serious injuries have been reported.
Investigators released an image of the suspects in that case.
One was described as five feet 10 inches tall with a medium build and was wearing a black toque with a white logo on the front, a black jacket with a white logo on the right front side, a black sweater, dark pants with a white stripe, and a black medical mask.
The second suspect was described as five feet eight inches tall with a medium build and was wearing a black sweater with a red logo above white text on the front, dark pants, brown boots and a black mask.
Police said the area has many businesses and is well-travelled.
“Police believe there were numerous witnesses present who may be able to assist with the investigation,” they said.
York police said they’re also aware of the incidents in Brampton and Toronto and investigators are liaising with the Peel and Toronto police services.
Toronto police confirmed that shortly before 10:30 p.m., officers responded to theatres at Scarborough Town Centre for “a possible ‘stink bomb'” released in the theatre, though the substance has not been confirmed.
The theatre was evacuated and no injuries were reported.
Toronto police and Peel police have not confirmed what movies may have been playing at the time of the incidents in their jurisdictions.