Man Hit Noisy Kid in Theater, Faces Jail Time
A man in Washington state faces a possible jail sentence after punching a 10-year-old boy in the face. Yong Hyun Kim told police he thought the boy was a grown man and was repeatedly disturbed by the boy during a screening of "Titanic."
"I just got so mad that it happened," Yong told police. According to him, the boy and his girlfriend had been loud during the entire movie, causing Kim to repeatedly ask them to be quiet. The two were also throwing popcorn, distracting Kim from watching the film.
After growing frustrated, Yong climbed over his seat and attacked the 10-year-old, causing him to lose a tooth and have a bloody nose.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
"At one point Yong stepped over the seats and confronted the subjects behind him," a police report says. "Yong said he was talking to the subjects when they started laughing at him. Yong said he became so angry and swung his arm at one of the subjects and hit him in the face."
He has been charged with second-degree assault and could face a three to nine month jail term. Many empathize with Yong's frustration and at least one Yahoo! user has said he "would have done the same thing."
"This is why parents should not be dropping their kids off at the movies," Htown P posted on Yahoo's page. "There is no reason for this man to have hit this kid, but the theater should have removed the kids."
"Although it is inappropriate to strike another person, I understand the frustration of the young man who hit the offending boy. Again, PARENTS, please mind your children and teach them manners. Jail time is too severe a punishment for Mr. Kim," stated Danielle.
AMC Theaters has also weighed in on the situation, since it occurred at one of their facilities. "We strongly encourage guests to be respectful of their fellow moviegoers, and to report any disturbance to an AMC associate so that we may handle it directly," spokesman Ryan Noonan said in a statement.
"The safety and security of our guests and associates is important to us, and we want everyone to enjoy the movie going experience," he added.
