Man Maced at AFI Chinese Theatre Screening

He asked a woman to turn off her phone

A night at the movies didn't turn out well for one man, who was maced at a TCL Chinese 6 screening in Hollywood.

The man was at an American Film Institute screening of Mr. Turner when he asked a woman to stop using her cell phone, an eyewitness told Mashable. After asking several times, he tapped the woman on her shoulder. The woman had a violent reaction to the shoulder tapping, and stood up, turned on her phone's flashlight app, screamed at the man and threatened to call the police.

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People asked her to turn off the phone, but she began going through her bag and produced a bottle of mace. She used the mace on the man, who left the theater with a companion. The woman continued to watch the movie, which never stopped playing, until security escorted her out about 20 minutes later.

"There was an incident, and it has been handled, and everyone is OK," an AFI rep told The Hollywood Reporter. The rep said that the festival's screenings were proceeding as scheduled.

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A manager at TCL 6, a group of theaters next to the famous TCL Chinese, declined to comment when reached by phone.

Mr. Turner, from director Mike Leigh, looks at the life of painter J.M.W. Turner.

Nov. 10 at 7:45 p.m. Updated with comment from the AFI rep.