A man, aged 34, was taken into custody after allegedly using pepper spray on a fellow moviegoer using a cellphone during a film at a Burbank AMC theater. This incident left at least two other individuals requiring hospital treatment.
Witnesses recounted hearing the distinct sound of aerosol spray followed by a scream. Shortly after, officers apprehended the suspect in the theater lobby.
Online, film enthusiasts engaged in heated discussions. Some expressed understanding of the frustration caused by screen distractions. Others criticized the pepper-spray reaction as excessive.
Incident Details
Police stated that the arrest occurred at the AMC 16 theater located in a busy entertainment district. Officers were called to the scene at approximately 5:30 p.m. on a Tuesday.
Lieutenant Brent Fekety from Burbank Police indicated that Matthew Ware, a Los Angeles resident, was charged with misdemeanor battery. After his booking into the Burbank Jail, he was released the next morning according to online records.
A moviegoer informed KTLA-TV of notifying police upon hearing an aerosol spray sound, followed by cries of pepper-spray exposure. Matthew Ware was then discovered in the lobby and was detained by officers. Social media images depicted officers handcuffing a man in cargo shorts and a black T-shirt with “Terrifier” branding.
Public Reaction
The episode triggered a deluge of comments across social media platforms. Some defended Ware, sharing personal grievances with inattentive cell phone users disrupting movie experiences. Moviegoers often adhere strictly to the unwritten rule that phones should remain off and silenced during screenings.
Contrarily, some individuals condemned the use of pepper spray as an inappropriate response, regardless of the distraction. For instance, a user on X, formerly known as Twitter, remarked that, while phone use in theaters is frustrating, resorting to pepper spray is unacceptable.
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