A 34-year-old man from Los Angeles was arrested at the AMC Burbank 16 theater after allegedly pepper-spraying another moviegoer for quietly using his cellphone during a screening, an act that sent at least three patrons to the hospital and set off a fiery online debate about theater etiquette versus proportionality.
The incident unfolded Tuesday, Sept. 15, around 5:30 p.m., during a showing of the horror film The Uprising. The movie had been running for about 40 minutes when a patron sitting a few rows away noticed the other man scrolling with the screen brightness turned very low. Witnesses say the first man approached and asked him to turn the phone off.
When the request was refused or met with what witnesses described as an insolent response, the man pulled out a pepper-spray canister and sprayed the victim directly in the face. The aerosol spread quickly through the theater, hitting at least two other nearby patrons who immediately reported burning eyes and respiratory irritation. All three were rushed to a local hospital for treatment. The theater later offered refunds to anyone affected.
A witness, AMC A-List member Joe Rodriguez who was seated in the row right in front of the altercation, said he heard the distinctive hissing sound of the spray before the victim screamed. Moments later, the suspect fled the auditorium and was found lingering in the theater lobby.
Rodriguez immediately dialed 911. When officers arrived, they found Ware in the lobby, where he began defending himself, insisting the phone user had “gotten smart” with him. He was arrested on the spot and charged with misdemeanor battery.
Burbank Police Lt. Brent Fekety confirmed the suspect is Matthew Ware, 34, of Los Angeles. Online jail records show he was booked into Burbank Jail that evening and released the next morning, Wednesday, Sept. 16, around 7:22 a.m.
No further charges have been filed as of Monday evening, and the case remains at the misdemeanor level.
The Online Firestorm
Photos of Ware — in cargo shorts and a black T-shirt — and witness descriptions spread like wildfire across X, Reddit, and Instagram. The debate split down the middle:
Some film fans and serious moviegoers called Ware a “hero” for enforcing basic theater rules. They pointed out that phones are banned during screenings at this AMC location and that post-pandemic cellphone distractions have become a nationwide headache. “Silence phones or get out” is a universal sentiment among dedicated theater lovers, they argued.
Others were harsher. Comments ranged from “Not cool to pepper spray” and warnings about the health risks to more nuanced takes: “Both things are true” — phones can ruin the shared experience, but spraying isn’t the answer.
NBC News and other outlets noted the story as another flashpoint in the ongoing national conversation about cellphone etiquette in shared public spaces since the pandemic.
As of Sept. 21, Matthew Ware has not appeared in court or faced any additional legal action. The theater has issued no public statement. The victims were treated and released, and the investigation continues at the misdemeanor level.
This incident perfectly captures the tension in today’s moviegoing culture: how to balance personal distractions with the shared experience of a dark theater, and exactly where the line lies between enforcing rules and resorting to physical force.
