POMPANO BEACH — A disagreement over movie theater seats turned into a violent assault on a 63-year-old man in Pompano Beach last Monday, the Broward Sheriff’s Office said. The altercation was caught on camera, but detectives are still looking for the perpetrator.
Shortly before 10 p.m., the victim, who was not identified, arrived at the 18 Muvico movie theater on Federal Highway with his wife, according to a Sheriff’s Office media release. He had bought VIP tickets that included advance seating.
When they got inside, they noticed an unknown man and woman in their seats. The victim politely asked the man to move, the release said, when witnesses said the man became “hostile.”
He stood up, “aggressively getting in the victim’s face,” the release said, standing so close to him that he had to step back, ending up on the stairs in the aisle.
Video footage then depicts the man moving toward the victim as he loses his balance and falls down on the stairs, a preview for Mission Impossible playing on the screen behind them. The man then stood above the victim and continued punching him in the face repeatedly, the release said, stopping only when witnesses pulled him off.
The victim was taken to a local hospital with several injuries on his head and face, the release said. The man and woman then left the theater, footage shows, walking quickly.
Anyone with information should contact BSO Violent Crimes Detective Lacey Fitzpatrick at 954-601-5905 or Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS (8477).