Woman Maces Man Who Asked her to Turn Off Cell Phone in a Theater

A woman in the audience at an American Film Institute (AFI) screening of Mr. Turner at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood responded in an unusual fashion to a man who asked her to turn off her cell phone—she maced him. 

According to Mashable, the film had just begun when the man made his request, as the light from the cell phone distracted him.

Unaware that the cell phone user was a woman, the man reportedly said, “Excuse me, sir.” Ignored, the man repeated his request several times. Finally, fed up, he tapped her arm, whereupon she went ballistic.

An eyewitness reported, “She stands up and starts cursing, saying ‘You hit me, you hit me, I’m going to call the police.'” The woman reportedly turned on her flashlight app and directed the light into the man’s face. She followed that by threatening to mace him, and indeed, maced him.

The man immediately exited the theater after being maced with pepper spray. 20 minutes later, the theater forced the woman to leave.

Interviewed by the Hollywood Reporter, the American Film Institute simply stated, “There was an incident, and it has been handled, and everyone is OK.”

There have been other violent incidents revolving around cell phones in theaters; last March a retired Florida police officer shot a man to death after they fought about texting.