A 16-year-old has been arrested by Washington police and charged with discharging a firearm within city limits.

The incident happened outside Carmike Cinema 7, located in Washington Square Mall, off of 15th Street on Saturday night. Police responded after a call came in at 10:42 p.m. reporting that shots had been fired.

According to Washington Police and Fire Services Director Stacy Drakeford, a single shot was fired into the air by the juvenile suspect. At the time of the incident, a crowd was gathered across the parking lot, near the Belk department store, but Drakeford said he wasn’t aware of a motive, nor whether the suspect had any intention of aiming the weapon at anyone.

“From what the witness said, he just shot up in the air,” Drakeford said.

After firing the single shot, the teen then ran behind the movie theater while several witnesses sought shelter inside the theater.

According to a press release from Lt. William Chrismon, spokesman for the police department, the suspect was identified through witness interviews, and once located, he cooperated with police and assisted officers in recovering the weapon.

Police recovered the .38 Smith and Wesson revolver he had thrown on the ground after firing. No injuries or damages were reported, Chrismon said.

In addition to the first charge, the suspect was also charged with possession of a firearm by a minor. The investigation is continuing into how the juvenile came into possession of the weapon.

Chrismon said the case was solved by the willingness of witnesses to come forward with information.

“I want to thank this witness for coming forward and helping us identify the suspect,” Drakeford said.