Full Breakdown
Pepper Spray Confrontation Highlights Ongoing Theater Etiquette Tensions
By Drooid · · How we work
Pepper Spray Incident at AMC Burbank 16
On Tuesday evening at the AMC Burbank 16, 34-year-old Matthew Ware was arrested after allegedly spraying a patron with pepper spray during a screening of *The Uprising*. Burbank Police Department Lieutenant Brent Fekety said Ware was booked on suspicion of misdemeanor battery. The spray also affected two other moviegoers, who were treated for irritation at a local hospital.
Phone Etiquette Tensions in Theaters
Since pandemic restrictions eased, phone use and loud conversations have become frequent complaints among cinema audiences. The issue intensified after Alamo Drafthouse reversed its long-standing no-phone policy in February, prompting backlash from patrons who view phone silence as essential to the movie-going experience.
Witness and Police Account
Joe Rodriguez, an AMC A-Lister who sat directly ahead of the confrontation, described hearing a hissing sound and seeing Ware cover his face while yelling about being pepper-sprayed. Rodriguez said Ware fled the auditorium, was pursued by three other patrons, and later defended himself to police. He noted that Ware had asked the phone user to turn off the device, which the patron refused. Lieutenant Fekety confirmed that officers responded to reports of a disturbance, located Ware inside the theater, and placed him under arrest. The department’s statement did not indicate whether Ware had legal representation at the time of booking.
Online Public Reaction
Discussion on Reddit’s AMC A-List Stubs forum and on X and Instagram split between those labeling Ware a “hero” for defending theater etiquette and those condemning the use of pepper spray.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Everyone was kind of like, ‘Was that real? What just happened?’” — Joe Rodriguez
- “The thing that stuck out the most was him saying that the guy on the phone ‘got smart’ with him, and that led me to believe that this wasn’t self-defense or anything,” — Joe Rodriguez
- “I deal with being behind the guy who’s on his phone, or behind the group of teenagers in the back of the theater who are constantly giggling and whispering to each other the whole movie, just being rude,” — Joe Rodriguez