Sophia Michaels
Movie spoilers are a big deal. Studios have gone to extreme lengths to prevent scripts from leaking early, as it’s believed spoilers hurt the box office. When movies arrive in theaters navigating social media can be a minefield as those who have seen a film try to discuss it while others try to avoid reveals until they have a chance. It can be really frustrating if you accidentally learn about a big twist or high-stakes moment before seeing a major movie. While not everybody thinks spoilers are a big deal, nobody likes being spoiled. A police officer in Australia pulled his gun over the topic of spoilers for the Tom Cruise blockbuster Top Gun: Maverick and now he’s been convicted of a crime.
According to the Australian Broadcasting Company, police officer Dominic Gaynor of New South Wales pled guilty to the crime of carrying a firearm with disregard. And now he’s been sentenced to 100 hours of community service and has been given a two-year good behavior bond, requiring him to not commit any additional offenses for that period, or face additional punishment.
The incident in question took place in May when Gaynor and another officer Morgan Royston, were discussing Top Gun: Maverick at the police station. Royston jokingly threatened to spoil the movie for Gaynor, who responded by pulling out his weapon and pointing it, “in the vicinity of [Royston] and held it stationary for five seconds.” It’s agreed upon that Gaynor’s finger was never on the trigger. Gaynor reportedly said “I’ll shoot you” in response to the comment about spoiling the movie.
While Gaynor was reportedly laughing while making the comment, the incident had a psychological impact on Royston, who said in court that he fell into a deep depression following the altercation, and he eventually left the department. He told the court he had “completely lost the trust I had and my admiration for the NSW Police Force.”
Top Gun: Maverick was a global box office hit, but apparently not everybody in the world saw it. Most fans would probably agree that avoiding spoilers is going to difficult considering how many people have seen the movie and how long it has been since its release. The movie was the talk of the movie world for months with Steven Spielberg saying it saved movie theaters.
Needless to say, this was a pretty extreme response to a threat of movie spoilers, even if the officer in question thought it was a joke. Pulling the gun was a serious breach of safety, something which Gaynor admitted to in court. The officer has been suspended since the incident, and the fact that he now has a recorded conviction almost certainly means he will be dismissed from the police force.
Fans and friends can certainly get heated when spoilers come around. Social media fights over spoilers It certainly can change a viewing experience when you know what’s going to happen before you get there, but in most cases, there aren’t deadly weapons around. Police Officers are certainly expected to treat their weapons with extreme care, and that’s not exactly what happened here.
