A 34-year-old man from Los Angeles was arrested for allegedly pepper-spraying a fellow moviegoer at a Burbank AMC theater. The altercation began when the victim used their cellphone during a film, drawing attention from others present.
Witnesses recounted hearing the sound of aerosol spray before the victim’s cries. Subsequently, officers located the suspect in the lobby and took him into custody. The incident left at least two others in need of hospital treatment.
The event has sparked a heated online discussion among film enthusiasts. Some individuals expressed understanding concerning distractions from cellphone use during movies. Conversely, others criticized the pepper-spray response as excessive.
Police indicated that officers were called to the AMC 16 theater, situated in a busy entertainment area, at approximately 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Matthew Ware, the accused individual, was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor battery. He was later booked at the Burbank Jail and released the next morning.
A moviegoer, speaking to KTLA-TV, mentioned alerting the police after hearing the hissing spray, shortly followed by a scream indicating someone had been pepper-sprayed. Officers found Ware in the lobby, wearing cargo shorts and a black t-shirt from the “Terrifier” horror series, as seen in social media images showing his arrest.
The incident, reported by KTLA, resulted in at least two moviegoers requiring hospital treatment due to spray exposure.
Unsurprisingly, the situation generated numerous comments on social media. Some respondents sympathized with Ware, relating to their own challenges with people violating the unwritten rule against phone use during films. Others expressed less empathy for Ware’s actions.
“People on their phones in the theater are beyond idiots, but you cannot go pepper spraying them,” a user commented on X.
Libor Jany, who reports on the Los Angeles Police Department, covered this event. Before joining the Los Angeles Times in 2022, Jany reported on public safety for Minneapolis’s Star Tribune. Originally from St. Paul, Minnesota, Jany studied communications at Mississippi State University.