Man puts on drunken show, gets arrested at 5th Avenue Theatre

Skooter reporting 08/16/12

A man was arrested mid-show while watching “Rent” at the 5th Avenue Theater last Wednesday. He was charged for violating the rules and throwing an empty wine glass at a staff member. He said he just wanted to enjoy a glass of wine while watching the show, according to the Seattle Police Department.

The man was very intoxicated before the show started and purchased the wine in the theater’s lobby before taking his seat. The usher informed him he had to keep his beverage in the lobby, but the man snubbed her and went on towards his seat, next to his wife, the police said. The usher didn’t stop telling him about the prohibition and try to get him to hand over his wine, but still the man refused.

At one point he said, he yelled at one woman who sat next to him saying ungentlemanly don’t spill my wine or I’ll slap you on the [expletive].

Meanwhile, the usher told him for the last time, he was not allowed to have wine in the theater, and what he did was gulped down the wine and threw the empty glass at her.

Staff members tried to get rid of the man out of the theater as they moved the women next to him to another seat, police said. Again they said to the man that he need to leave, he can’t have wine inside the theater and reminded him he fling a glass at one of the staff.

But then again, the man refused, telling the security guard he was going to stay and enjoy the show. Eventually the theater staff called police. Three officers quietly approached the man and tapped him on the arm and requested him to talk to them outside.

The man was asked three times by the officers to leave, but he refused, saying the same response as before. He wanted to stay and enjoy the show. By then police physically escorted him out of the theater as the man fought back, he even tried to twist one officer’s wrist. The man still kept trying to go back inside the movie house that made the police to arrest him for criminal offense.

The man was then taken to a police station and admitted that it was very poor judgment to throw the wine glass at the usher. His wife did not leave with her husband despite witnessing the disturbance.

AP