Woman maces man who asks her to turn off her cell phone in a movie theater

Movie theater etiquette is a contentious issue, but some take it farther than others — like the woman who responded to a man's complaints about her cell phone by spraying his eyes with mace.

The incident took place on Monday night at an AFI Festival screening of Mike Leigh's Mr. Turner, reports Variety. Five minutes into the movie, the man repeatedly asked a woman seated in front of him to turn off her cell phone, eventually tapping her on the shoulder. After a "brief exchange" — during which the woman "turned on her phone's flashlight app, screamed at the man and threatened to call the police" — she reached into her purse, retrieved a can of mace, and sprayed him in the face.

The man and his girlfriend left immediately, but the woman sat down and continued watching the movie until security arrived to escort her out of the theater between 15 and 20 minutes later. "There was an incident, and it has been handled, and everyone is okay," said an AFI rep to The Hollywood Reporter.

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