Florida detectives are searching for a gunman who beat a 63-year-old man who asked him to move from reserved seats to an adjacent space.
The attack happened on July 10 at an AMC Theater at 2315 N. Federal Highway in Pompano Beach, Florida shortly before 10:00 p.m. The movie the victim bought tickets for was not identified.
The Broward County Sheriff’s Office released video of the incident, the suspected attacker is shown violently pushing the elderly man against the railing and then punching him several times in the face.
Police said the victim bought VIP tickets, which have assigned seats. When he entered the theater, he saw the suspect and a woman in his seats. Witnesses said he politely asked them to move.
The suspect soon became angry and hostile, police said.
Witnesses had to grab the attacker and pull him off the victim. The suspect and the woman then left the scene. The victim suffered serious head and face injuries and was sent for medical treatment to the local hospital.
Local Florida station WPEC-CBS12 posted footage of the incident (warning: graphic content):
The incident in Florida mirrors what happened last month in New Mexico.
New Mexico teenager Enrique Padilla, 19, allegedly killed a man in a weekend dispute over reserved movie seats.
The dispute that led to the shooting happened late Sunday night in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The suspected attacker has been caught.
