Man Charged in Movie Theater Bottle Bomb, More Charges Likely: Police

A Bowie man has been arrested for building "bottle-bombs" that detonated in several area movie theaters, most recently in Largo, according to Mark Brady, spokesman for the Prince George’s County Fire Department.

Manuel Joyner, 20, was arrested Saturday and charged with the manufacture/possession/detonation of a destructive device that ignited May 24 at the Magic Johnson Movie Theatre in Largo.  The charge is a felony, which carries a maximum penalty of 25 years in jail if Joyner is found guilty.

Joyner is considered a suspect in multiple movie theater "bottle-bomb" incidents across the region over the past weeks, Brady said.

A bottle bomb was set off at AMC Magic Johnson less than an hour after an explosion at AMC Tysons Corner overnight on May 24, reports WNEW. Just one week before, two bottle bombs exploded at the Tysons Corner theater, prompting the evacuation of more than 300 moviegoers.

Officers from multiple agencies worked together to investigate the bottle bombs, including the Prince George's County Office of the Fire Marshal, the Prince George's County Police, ATF, FBI, Anne Arundel County Fire Marshal and County Police, Fairfax County Fire Marshal, City of Alexandria Fire Marshal and the Montgomery County Fire Marshal.

Members of the task force searched a home in the 600 block of Stillwater Place in Bowie on Saturday after Joyner’s arrest.

Additional charges against Joyner are forthcoming not only from Prince George's County, but from other agencies and jurisdictions, according to Brady.