Sunday matinee canceled at Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre after online threats



SEATTLE -- The 5th Avenue Theatre in downtown Seattle canceled Sunday's matinee performance of "Annie" after a former employee made threatening statements on Facebook.

According to Seattle PD, police were called shortly after 1 p.m. Sunday regarding the threats. By that time, the theater had already decided to cancel the 1:30 p.m. matinee, police said. It's not clear what type of threatening language was used.

The suspect was in custody by Sunday afternoon, and the evening performance of "Annie" continued with increased police presence at the theater.

"We consider the safety of our guests, staff, and artists to be our highest priority," said Managing Director Bernadine C. Griffin. "After receiving this threat, we made the difficult decision to cancel the performance to ensure the safety and well being of everyone in the audience, onstage, and behind the scenes."

Guests who had tickets to the Sunday matinee can call the theater starting at 10 a.m. Monday for information on how to exchange the tickets.