A man suffered potentially “life-changing” injuries after being doused in acid outside a UK movie theater following a screening of the film Straight Outta Compton.
According to the Mirror, a 27-year-old man had just left a screening of the NWA biopic at the Cineworld theater in Crawley, West Sussex when another man approached and threw acid on him in the parking lot.
The victim was reportedly rushed to a nearby hospital, but because of the extent of his injuries, was later transferred to Queen Victoria Hospital for more intensive treatment.
The attack reportedly followed an altercation inside a late-night screening of Straight Outta Compton.
“I was trying to watch the film when I heard shouting at the back,” witness Charis Lampey told the Mirror. “I didn’t get what they were arguing about but they were shouting and swearing at each other.”
Police believe the suspects are two white males in their late 20s or early 30s. One is described as having dark short hair and a beard while the other was wearing a “white or light gray hoodie and jeans.” The men were driving a dark-colored Peugeot car.
“We were concerned to hear about the incident that occurred in the car park outside Cineworld Crawley and our thoughts are with the man involved,” a spokeswoman for the theater chain told the paper. “We are working closely with the police to assist their investigations. Reports of this kind are extremely rare and we work hard to ensure the safety of our customers, equipping all cinemas with CCTV as well as providing all staff with the latest training.”
Shortly before the film’s release, Universal Pictures offered to reimburse American theaters screening the film for any additional security costs. It is unclear if any theaters took Universal up on the offer.
Straight Outta Compton has grossed more than $140 million worldwide since its August 14 release, according to BoxOfficeMojo. The film cost just $30 million to produce.