A Washington man, 21-year-old Hyun Kim, has been charged with second-degree assault after he punched a 10-year-old in a movie theater.
Kim was arrested on April 11 at the AMC Theater in Kent for punching the child while in a screening of Titanic in 3D. Kim has told police he was aggravated by a group of four young male moviegoers who talked and threw popcorn. When asked to quiet down, Kim says the group laughed at him.
Eventually, a furious Kim jumped back over his seat toward the group, threw an iced drink at the youngsters, and then struck a 10-year-old, KJJ, in the face. KJJ lost a tooth and suffered a bloody nose in the confrontation.
Kim has since told authorities that he thought the person he was striking was a grown man, only to discover he was a child of just 10. He also said that the behavior of the young boys went beyond simple whispering, and included the group throwing popcorn at Kim and his girlfriend, and running back and forth in aisles, bumping into audience members with their arms.
KJJ’s side of the story is a little different – he has told police that he was at the theater with three friends. He admits they did talk, but says they were quiet after being scolded by Kim. When one of the boys broke the silence with a whisper, KJJ claims Kim then assaulted him. The group and Kim met police in the theater’s lobby.
Kim spent a night in the Kent city jail for his troubles, and appeared in King County District Court on April 12. If convicted, he could be sentenced to three to nine months in jail.
