Man arrested after allegedly pepper-spraying fellow filmgoer for using phone during movie

Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times on Sep 19, 2026

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LOS ANGELES — A 34-year-old man was arrested this week after he pepper-sprayed another moviegoer at a Burbank AMC theater for using a cellphone during a film, police said.

Lt. Brent Fekety, a Burbank Police spokesman, said officers were summoned about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday to the AMC 16 theater, which is nestled in the middle of the bustling entertainment district.

They arrested Matthew Ware of Los Angeles on suspicion of misdemeanor battery and later booked him into the Burbank Jail.

Online jail records show he was released the following morning.

A moviegoer told KTLA-TV that he called the police after he heard the hissing sound of an aerosol spray, moments before someone screamed that they had been pepper-sprayed. Police found Ware in the lobby and arrested him. Images posted on social media showed officers handcuffing a man wearing cargo shorts and a black T-shirt from the "Terrifier" horror franchise.

At least two other moviegoers were treated at a hospital for exposure to the spray, KTLA reported.

Predictably, the incident prompted scores of sometimes snarky comments on social media.

Some commenters rushed to Ware's defense, airing their own frustrations and experiences with people who violate an unwritten but sacrosanct rule among serious filmgoers: Phones need to be silenced and stay off during a movie.

Others were less sympathetic.

"People on their phones in the theater are beyond idiots, but you cannot go pepper spraying them," one user wrote on X.