Surveillance video shows man walk into Flix Brewhouse with loaded AR-15

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Police say a man brought a loaded assault rifle into the Flix Brewhouse off of Coors last Friday night.

Darnell Hill faced a judge in a virtual hearing Wednesday. At times, he could be seen speaking, but his audio remained muted the entire time. 

The question before the judge – is Hill too dangerous to release from jail? 

“The defendant’s intentions here are terrifying,” said the prosecutor.  

“From the depiction of the video footage no one seen him as dangerous, or no one seen him as wanting to harm anyone, they were actually speaking to him,” said the defense attorney.  

Surveillance video inside the lobby of Flix Brewhouse last Friday showed a man walk right in the front door with a rifle in hand. 

Investigators say Hill was either drunk, high or both when he walked into the theater Friday night. 

Moments later another camera catches him entering the kitchen. 

Initially, people can see the employees moving away from him, but he does not point the gun at anyone – employees then approach him.

“Once they had enough people inside the kitchen, the kitchen manager moved up and grabbed the barrel of the firearm,” said BCSO Detective Cameron Carroll.  

After a few moments, the employees managed to wrestle the gun away from him. A couple of minutes later, employees moved Hill out an side exit. 

He can be seen running back to the front entrance where he tries to get back inside, but employees and customers hold the doors closed. 

“The defendant’s conduct here is as volatile as it could be. He didn’t have a holstered weapon, he wasn’t minding his own business, he was running around with an AR-15 rifle,” the prosecutor said.  

Prosecutors said Hill’s actions, and criminal history proved he should stay in jail until trial.

His defense attorney argued he could be released on strict conditions. 

“There’s no real evidence here to show that he does not present the ability to follow conditions of release,” said the defense attorney. 

But the judge disagreed. He said Hill’s substance abuse problems, and the fact that he brought a loaded gun to the theater proved he was dangerous.

“I don’t see that there’s any point to bring a weapon like that to a public setting except to terrorize people who are there. Clearly that was done in this instance,” said the judge.  

Hill was visibly disappointed the judge ordered him to be held in jail until trial.