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MoreQuiet 35h · day 5

Man arrested for pepper-spraying cellphone user at Burbank movie theater

Matthew Ware, 34, attacked a moviegoer during a screening of "The Uprising" after the victim refused to put away his phone.

newest coverage 1d agosummary written 4d ago27 pieces1 likes & upvotes NewswiresGoogle NewsMastodonYouTube

What to know

  • Matthew Ware, 34, was arrested for pepper-spraying a moviegoer at an AMC theater in Burbank after the victim refused to put away his cellphone during a screening.
  • The attack exposed at least two other moviegoers to the spray, requiring hospital treatment.
  • Social media reaction revealed sharp disagreement: some users sympathized with frustration over phone use in theaters, while others firmly rejected violence as a response.

The dispute Whether Ware's violent response, while arising from a legitimate grievance about theater conduct, can ever be justified or excused as understandable. · positions read across 1 posts and comments

many voices

Phone use in theaters is intolerable, and Ware's frustration is understandable even if his method was wrong.

  • “People on their phones in the theater are beyond idiots, but you cannot go pepper spraying them.”

    X user · X ↗

“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, Witness · NY Post ↗

Matthew Ware Alleged attackerJoe Rodriguez Witness

Man arrested for pepper-spraying cellphone user at Burbank movie theater
NY Post

How it unfolded 1 development · click the chart to see its coverage articles

Peak 7 pieces in two hours at Sep 19, 4 PM; 27 pieces over 5 days (23 articles · 1 video · 3 posts) Sep 18, 10 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Google News 1Sep 19, 12 AM — quietSep 19, 2 AM — quietSep 19, 4 AM — quietSep 19, 6 AM — quietSep 19, 8 AM — quietSep 19, 10 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 19, 12 PM — 2 pieces · 1 article · 1 post — Mastodon 1, Newswires 1Sep 19, 2 PM — quietSep 19, 4 PM — 7 pieces · 7 articles — Google News 5, Newswires 2Sep 19, 6 PM — quietSep 19, 8 PM — quietSep 19, 10 PM — quietSep 20, 12 AM — quietSep 20, 2 AM — quietSep 20, 4 AM — quietSep 20, 6 AM — quietSep 20, 8 AM — quietSep 20, 10 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 20, 12 PM — quietSep 20, 2 PM — quietSep 20, 4 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 20, 6 PM — quietSep 20, 8 PM — quietSep 20, 10 PM — quietSep 21, 12 AM — quietSep 21, 2 AM — quietSep 21, 4 AM — quietSep 21, 6 AM — 6 pieces · 6 articles — Newswires 6Sep 21, 8 AM — quietSep 21, 10 AM — quietSep 21, 12 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 21, 2 PM — 5 pieces · 3 articles · 1 video · 1 post — Newswires 2, Google News 1, Mastodon 1, +1 moreSep 21, 4 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 21, 6 PM — quietSep 21, 8 PM — quietSep 21, 10 PM — quietSep 22, 12 AM — quietSep 22, 2 AM — quietSep 22, 4 AM — quietSep 22, 6 AM — quietSep 22, 8 AM — quietSep 22, 10 AM — quietSep 22, 12 PM — quietSep 22, 2 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Sep 22, 4 PM — quietSep 22, 6 PM — quietSep 22, 8 PM — quietSep 22, 10 PM — quietYesterday, 12 AM — quietYesterday, 2 AM — quietYesterday, 4 AM — quietYesterday, 6 AM — quietYesterday, 8 AM — quietYesterday, 10 AM — quietYesterday, 12 PM — quietYesterday, 2 PM — quietYesterday, 4 PM — quietYesterday, 6 PM — quietYesterday, 8 PM — quietYesterday, 10 PM — quietToday, 12 AM — quiet 1
Sep 19Sep 20Sep 21Sep 22yesterdaynow · 2:55 AM ET
  1. 1

    Social media reaction splits between condemning violence and sympathizing with frustration

    The incident prompted widespread social media commentary. Some users defended Ware's frustration with phone use in theaters, while others condemned the use of violence, regardless of provocation.

    “People on their phones in the theater are beyond idiots, but you cannot go pepper spraying them.”
    — X user
    1. 8 outlets Man arrested for allegedly pepper-spraying moviegoer over cellphone use at Burbank theater

      first by KTLA, 5d ago · also NY Post, Mercury News, Los Angeles Daily News, ABC7 Los Angeles, CBS News, NBC Los Angeles +1

      7 more headlines
    2. 6 outlets Man arrested after allegedly pepper-spraying fellow filmgoer for using phone during movie

      first by Los Angeles Times, 4d ago · also PennLive, MassLive, The Oregonian, LA Times, LA Times California

      1 more headline
    • ai6yr@m.ai6yr.org

      The Guardian: Moviegoer using phone during film pepper-sprayed in LA, police say https://www. theguardian.com/us-news/2026/s ep/21/person-pepper-sprayed-phone-use-amc-movie-la # movietheaters

      ai6yr@m.ai6yr.orgMastodon1d ago1▲view on Mastodon ↗
  2. background

    Ware arrested in theater lobby — After fleeing the theater, Ware was apprehended in the lobby by police who were called by a witness. He was arrested and booked into Burbank Jail on a misdemeanor battery charge, then released the following morning.

  3. background

    Matthew Ware pepper-sprays cellphone user at Burbank theater — At AMC Burbank 16, Matthew Ware, 34, allegedly pepper-sprayed a man who was using his phone during a screening of "The Uprising" about 40 minutes into the film. Ware had initially asked the victim to turn off his phone; when refused, he sprayed him. At least two other moviegoers were exposed to the spray and treated at a hospital.

Also covered reported alongside — the timeline has no entry for these yet

  1. 3 outlets Moviegoer arrested for pepper spraying audience member who was using cellphone: police

    first by Independent UK, 3d ago · also AV Club, Guardian

    2 more headlines

and 1 smaller piece

What people are saying 0 voices from 0 sites · best of 1 · verbatim