A man who resorted to physical violence rather than give up a seat assigned to another Pompano Beach moviegoer was sentenced this week to 21 months in prison after he reached a plea agreement with Broward prosecutors.

Jesse Montez Thorton, 28, pleaded no contest to one count of aggravated battery with great bodily harm, a charge that stemmed from a July 2023 confrontation at the AMC movie theater on Federal Highway. According to a police report, Thorton took someone else’s assigned seat at a showing of the horror movie “Insidious,” and when the 63-year-old ticketholder asked him to move, Thorton got violent, punching him repeatedly on the theater steps.

The Broward State Attorney’s Office said Thorton’s lack of a prior criminal record and his status as a veteran factored into the decis

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