Craig Robinson evacuates comedy club after shooter enters venue

The Office star Craig Robinson was forced to evacuate his comedy show in Charlotte, North Carolina on Saturday after a man with a firearm entered the venue.

The comedian, perhaps best known for playing Darryl Philbin in the TV sitcom, was preparing for his performance at The Comedy Zone when a man entered the building shortly after 9pm and brandished a gun. Robinson and those inside the venue were evacuated, after which the suspect discharged his weapon.

A spokesperson for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) released a statement confirming that the suspect had been detained and nobody was injured.

On Sunday, Robinson thanked the staff at the comedy club and CMPD officers for the way they handled the situation.

"Thank you to the Comedy Zone security and staff for getting us to safety quickly," he wrote on Instagram. "Thank you everyone for your outpouring of support and well wishes. Thank you CMPD for swift action and for apprehending the shooter. Hopefully he gets the help he needs. Thanks be to God no one was hurt. Please stay safe everyone."

The 50-year-old previously told his Instagram followers in a video on Saturday that the evacuees ran over to the Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre, where Big Time Rush were performing, after the incident.

"There was an active shooter in the comedy club, so they moved us over to this, there's a concert going and it's Big Time Rush," he explained while in the audience of the outdoor show. "We had to run over here to this concert.

"I'm safe. It's cool. We cool. It was just wild. I was in a green room and they (were) like, 'Everybody get out'. It was a moment, for sure."

Robinson's show on Saturday was cancelled as well as two performances scheduled for Sunday night.