I am firmly on Team Put Your Phone Away at the Movies. If I paid $20 (or more) to sit in a dark room and watch a new movie release on the biggest screen possible, and I do not particularly want somebody three rows ahead illuminating the theater with texting or TikTok trends. That said, there are levels to enforcing movie theater etiquette. Asking someone to put the phone away? Fine. Reaching for pepper spray? We have officially left reasonable behavior behind. But at one Los Angeles theater, a man got so angry about another moviegoer’s phone use that he apparently decided pepper spray was the answer.According to The Guardian, a 34-year-old Los Angeles man was arrested after allegedly pepper-spraying another patron who had been using a cellphone during a movie at the AMC Burbank 16 on Sept. 15. Two other people were also affected by the spray, and all three were treated at a local hospital.Per the reporting, police were called to the theater at roughly 5:30 p.m., 40 minutes into the screening. Witness Joe Rodriguez told NBC Los Angeles that everything had seemed normal until he heard what sounded like an aerosol can behind him. That's when someone allegedly yelled that he had just been pepper-sprayed.Rodriguez said the suspect ran out of the auditorium afterward, with several other moviegoers following him through the theater. Police eventually arrested Matthew Ware of Los Angeles and booked him into the Burbank Jail on suspicion of misdemeanor battery. He was released the following morning, according to jail records cited by the Los Angeles Times.(Image credit: Dune Entertainment)Police have not publicly detailed everything that happened immediately before the spray was used. Rodriguez, however, said what he overheard afterward did not sound like self-defense. He recalled hearing Ware say the other patron had “got smart” with him after the phone dispute.Unsurprisingly, a man allegedly pepper-spraying somebody over cellphone use in a movie theater did not stay a local Burbank story for long. Let's break down how moviegoers are responding to this story. Fans' Reaction to Theater Goer Pepper Spray IncidentThe incident quickly bounced around; after Dexerto shared the story, the replies turned into an extremely online debate over two questions: How obnoxious is it to use your phone during a movie, and how far is way too far when confronting someone about it?Plenty of people understood the frustration, even if pepper spray was several steps beyond asking someone to dim their screen. They write:@punchmanofcl: “The guy using his phone should be a mitigating factor”@AiwithAnnie: “arresting that guy is wild. but maybe put the phone down next time, huh?”@DolphinForTheWi: “Kinda can't blame him”@yaboisancho_: “I mean kinda deserved no?”@toastyfluffls: “understandable.”@darth_genius: “i understand but his method was extreme”Others were considerably more willing to appoint the alleged pepper-sprayer as some sort of vigilante pulled straight out of the best 80s action movies, set to defend theater etiquette. Some responses in this camp were:@ImRobinBankss: “Free my boy”@squiding_squid: “Bro was 100% in the right and shouldn't be arrested”@duhbuhldeez: “Did nothing wrong”@rosn: “Does he need bail money?”@SayoriSOT: “Set this hero free”@mancbrad: “Free him”@GamerxShift: “Naw he’s justified let him go”@TopherLee513: “Free that man.”Then there were the people who simply recognized how ridiculous this entire sentence sounds when you strip away the criminal allegations and boil it down. One commenter had my favorite response, posting:i can summarize the movie later. pepper spray is a bold approach to spoilersMeanwhile, @TheTrendRover described the incident as “Theater etiquette enforcement running max-aggression chemical AoE,” while @sfzpji joked, “It’s part of the show.”Folks whipping out their phones is a modern annoyance all movie fans have to deal with, especially now that higher-end cinemas like The Alamo Drafthouse have ditched ordering food and drinks on paper, and encourage audiences to order through their app. This move understandably upset the likes of actor Elijah Wood who was not happy with the change. That’s why there are always so many warnings ahead of films nowadays telling people to put the phone away. Apparently theaters need one more disclaimer before screenings: “Please silence your phones, refrain from talking, and do not deploy pepper spray during the feature presentation.” It feels obvious, but we live in strange times.If you plan to catch a movie in theaters now or on the 2027 movie release schedule, do everyone a favor. Put the phone away and leave the pepper spray in the car. And if you can't abide by either? Maybe check out some of the best streaming services (a Netflix plan, perhaps?) and stay at home.