Man pepper-sprayed fellow moviegoer over cellphone use; social media takes his side
Matthew Ware, 34, was arrested at AMC Burbank 16 after spraying a phone-using patron during a screening — and a large slice of the internet thinks he had a point.
A Los Angeles man pepper-sprayed a fellow moviegoer for using a cellphone during a film at a Burbank AMC theater, police say — and when the story hit social media, a striking number of people sided with the man holding the canister.
Burbank police arrested Matthew Ware, 34, at about 5:30 p.m. on September 15 inside AMC Burbank 16, located at 125 E. Palm Ave. in the city's downtown entertainment district. He was booked into the Burbank Jail on suspicion of misdemeanor battery and released the following morning at 7:22 a.m., according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Inmate Information Center.
The confrontation unfolded roughly 30 to 40 minutes into a screening of 'The Uprising,' an Andrew Garfield film. According to witness Joe Rodriguez, who said he was sitting in the back of the theater, Ware first approached the victim and asked him to turn off his phone — the man was scrolling with the brightness turned down. When the victim refused, Ware sprayed him. Ware then fled the auditorium as others gave chase, but police found him in the lobby and took him into custody.
It was definitely the most bizarre thing I've ever seen happen at the movies.— Joe Rodriguez, theater witness
This is insane. This grown man would resort to that. They gave him the benefit of the doubt; he did try to use his words initially, but that's just unacceptable.— Joe Rodriguez, theater witness
The pepper spray caught at least two other moviegoers who were not involved in the dispute. The Burbank Fire Department responded to the scene, and those two patrons were taken to a local hospital for treatment of irritation from the spray. AMC offered to refund everyone's ticket, according to CBS News.
A witness told KTLA he called police after hearing the hiss of an aerosol spray, followed immediately by someone screaming that they had been pepper-sprayed. Images circulated on social media showed officers handcuffing a man in cargo shorts and a black T-shirt bearing the logo of the 'Terrifier' horror franchise.
CBS News reached Ware for comment; he declined and hung up.
Online, the arrest became a referendum on cellphone etiquette in theaters. Scores of commenters expressed sympathy for Ware, describing their own frustrations with patrons who ignore the widely understood expectation that phones be silenced and put away during a film. Others drew a clear line.
People on their phones in the theater are beyond idiots, but you cannot go pepper spraying them.— User on X
Rodriguez, for his part, offered a wry verdict on the whole evening.
To be completely honest, the movie wasn't my cup of tea. I was more thrilled by what happened than the movie itself.— Joe Rodriguez, theater witness
The film at the center of the incident, 'The Uprising,' holds a 55% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, according to CBS News. AMC Burbank 16 is described by the nonprofit Downtown Burbank Partnership as offering 'a premium moviegoing experience in the heart of the district's entertainment hub,' according to the New York Post.
Why it matters — The arrest — and the wave of online sympathy for the accused — illustrates how deeply phone-use friction has frayed the shared social contract of the movie theater, turning a misdemeanor into a national conversation.
⚠ Not yet confirmed
- The victim was scrolling with the phone's brightness all the way down at the time of the confrontation.
- Other moviegoers in the theater gave chase to Ware as he fled the auditorium.
Reported by latimes.com, ktla.com, nbclosangeles.com, cbsnews.com, dailynews.com, nypost.com, arcamax.com
- Andrew GarfieldEnglish and American actor (born 1983)
