Rep. Lauren Boebert kicked out of Denver theater following reports of rude behavior: NPR

Rep. Lauren Boebert, pictured here at the U.S. Capitol in January, was escorted out of a Denver theater Sunday evening after multiple complaints of disruptive behavior.

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Rep. Lauren Boebert, pictured here at the U.S. Capitol in January, was escorted out of a Denver theater Sunday evening after multiple complaints of disruptive behavior.

Drew Angerer/Getty Images

U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert was escorted out of a Denver theater Sunday night after several people sitting next to her in the audience complained that she was creating a disturbance.

In an incident report shared with NPR, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts said it had to eject two guests from a performance of “Beetlejuice,” the musical, for violating viewing policies.

The theater did not name Boebert specifically, but the Colorado Republican identified herself by Tweeter“That’s right, I really enjoyed the incredible Beetlejuice at the Buell Theater and I plead guilty to laughing and singing too loudly!”

“Everyone should go see it if you get the chance this week,” she added. “Please let me know how this ends.”

The report said those evicted were seen vaping and using a cell phone to record the performance, contrary to theater rules.

Theater staff received three different complaints over the behavior, prompting security to issue a warning to both patrons during intermission. But five minutes after the second act, the staff received a fourth complaint and mobilized to evict the two customers.

One of the ushers reported that guests had resisted leaving.

“They told me they wouldn’t leave. I told them they had to leave the theater and if they didn’t they would enter without permission. The patrons said they wouldn’t leave. I told them I was going to go get Denver. Police. They said go get them,” the bailiff said in the report.

Surveillance footage shared with local media appears to show Boebert, seated next to a man in a suit jacket in row E, toward the front of the 2,800-person theater.

As the audience applauds the end of a scene, the two men are confronted by two security guards while surrounding customers look on. After a minute of conversation, they get up to leave.

Boebert turns several times to speak to security guards as she is escorted into the theater lobby. According to the incident report, the two men were saying things like, “Do you know who I am?” », “I am a member of the board of directors” and “I will contact the mayor”.

At one point, Boebert stops to take a photo of herself, surveillance footage shows. Once outside the theater, she walks hand in hand with the man and twirls, as if dancing.

In a statement to NPR, Boebert’s campaign manager dismissed the report as exaggerated.

“I can confirm the stunning and salacious rumors: In her free time, Congresswoman Lauren Boebert is indeed a supporter of the performing arts (gasp!) and, much to the dismay of a select few, enthusiastically enjoyed a performance of Beetlejuice on weekend,” Drew Sexton wrote.

“She appreciates the Buell Theater’s strict enforcement of its no-photography policy and only wishes the Biden administration could enforce our border laws as rigorously and vigorously.”

He added that she doesn’t vape, noting that the show uses “thick fog machines and e-cigarettes.”

Boebert, who is seeking a third term representing Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District, is no stranger to clashes with police and security guards.

Before starting her career, she was arrested and summoned at least four times, each for minor charges, according to The Denver Post.

She was not allowed on the House floor during her first days at the U.S. Capitol after refusing to let Capitol Police search her purse after triggering metal detectors placed at entrances from the House floor, as part of a new security procedure implemented after January. June 6, 2021.