A man was maced in the face at point-blank range after asking a woman to turn off her cellphone during a movie at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood on Monday night, according to a report by Mashable.
The American Film Institute screening of “Mr. Turner” had just gotten underway when a man near the back row repeatedly asked the woman to turn off her cellphone, which was visibly glowing, according to the report.
When the man tapped her on the shoulder, the woman “flipped out on him” and claimed he had hit her, an eyewitness told Mashable. In the moments that followed, the woman pulled out a can of mace and sprayed him in his face.
The man and a woman sitting next to him got up and left, the report said.
The movie never stopped. The woman with the pepper spray continued to sit and watch the movie for another 20 minutes before volunteers and security guards kicked her out.
"The incident was taken care of and the gentleman is fine," An AFI representative told NBC 4. The festival's screenings are proceeding as scheduled.
The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating the incident, and has asked the victim and eyewitness to come forward.
