The Hells Angels have rented out a Tempe movie theater for a special event on Saturday morning, and it has Tempe police on high alert, concerned other rival biker gangs may show up.
“If something should go wrong, you're putting everyone's life on the line,” neighbor Juanita Foster said.
Foster’s family lives directly behind the theater, and she says the kids will not be playing outside this weekend.
“I'm going to keep my kids inside the house,” Foster said.
The Hells Angels will be renting the entire theater from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. to screen a movie about the history of their biker club. About 100 people are expected to attend.
“If they come, you know someone else is going to come,” Foster added. “They're not going to be the only ones there."
Tempe police have the same concerns. They will be upping patrols in the area, and they are also working with the theater's security to make sure things run smoothly.
The theater is owned by well-known real estate Michael Pollack.
Some neighbors like Ron and Carolyn say he’s been around for a long time, and if he trusts the situation, they do too.
“I'm not concerned about it,” Carolyn said. “I'm sure he's taking in some good security. I don't think he would do anything that would mess up the neighborhoods and cause any problems,”
“He’s been here too long,” Ron added.
The management of the theater sent a statement saying they took a reservation from HAMC Mesa LLC and will honor the contract. Whether they knew that reservation was for the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club at the time of the booking is still unclear.
“I can pray about it, and hopefully they just see their movie and go home,” Foster said.
