POMPANO BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - A violent incident that unfolded in a Pompano Beach movie theater in July has led to the arrest of 27-year-old Jesse Montez Thorton II, who now sits in jail facing charges of aggravated battery with great bodily harm.
Thorton was apprehended in Fort Lauderdale on Thursday and was transported to the Broward Sheriff’s Office Main Jail.
Deputies said that after months of investigation, including an anonymous tip through Broward Crime Stoppers, that led detectives to identify Thorton as the aggressor.
On Friday, Thorton appeared in court and was given a $250,000 bond. If he pays his bond, he’s forbidden from returning to any movie theater and cannot have any contact with the victim or witnesses.
The victim, Marc Cohen, 63, had purchased VIP tickets with assigned seating for a film at the theater located at 2315 N. Federal Highway. When Cohen and his wife arrived, they found an unknown couple occupying their seats.
After politely requesting Thorton to vacate their assigned seats, a verbal altercation escalated into a physical confrontation, captured on video.
In the video footage, Thorton is seen repeatedly punching Cohen in the face until witnesses intervened, pulling Thorton away. Cohen required hospitalization after he suffered head and facial injuries.
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