Man charged with slapping loud kid in Kent theater

Man charged with slapping loud kid in Kent theater
BY LEVI PULKKINEN, SEATTLEPI.COM STAFF
Updated 04:42 p.m., Tuesday, May 22, 2012


An Auburn man accused of smacking a loud 10-year-old at a Kent movie theater could face months in jail if convicted of the felony assault charge now filed against him.

King County prosecutors contend 21-year-old Yong Hyun Kim knocked out one of the boy’s teeth after the child and several other youths refused to quiet down and stop throwing popcorn in April.

According to charging documents, Kim admitted to hitting the boy and appeared ashamed when confronted by police with the boy’s age. Kim allegedly said he thought the boy was an adult when he slapped him in the face.

The Associated Press reports the incident occured during a screening of "Titanic" in 3-D.

At 10:40 p.m. on April 11, Kent police were called to the AMC Theater at 426 Ramsay Way following a complaint that a man had attacked a child there.

Officers arrived to find to find the 10-year-old, his mother and several friends in the theater lobby. The boy was bleeding from the nose and missing a tooth.

The boy told police he wasn’t sure why Kim struck him. He said he was seated in the theater when a man with “long hair and … 3D glasses” stepped over a row of seats and confronted him.

According to the boy’s account, Kim said something to the effect of, “You know what, I paid a lot of money to see this movie” and punched him in the face.

For his part, Kim said the boy and others were talking loudly during the movie and throwing popcorn, some of which landed on him and his girlfriend, a Kent detective told the court.

Kim told police he confronted the group about their behavior, to no avail, the detective continued.

“The group laughed at him and did not quiet down,” the detective said in court documents. “Yong (Kim) said he hit one of the subjects in the face with an open hand.”

“I got so mad that it just happened,” Kim told police, according to charging documents.

Kim was arrested and later gave a lengthy statement to police. The detective noted Kim claimed he didn’t know the boy was so young until police informed him.

“When (the arresting officer) asked Yong (Kim) if he was aware that the person he struck was 10 years old … Yong hung his head down and said he thought the person was a grown man,” the detective told the court.

Kim has been charged with second-degree assault, a felony. Kim, who has no criminal record, was briefly jailed and has since been released.

Check the Seattle 911 crime blog for more Seattle crime news. Visit seattlepi.com's home page for more Seattle news.

Alan Smithee wrote:I understand what he did (if he's telling the truth about not knowing it was a kid) but I don't condone it. That's what the manager is for. I don't think he would have done this in Florida.

Nystyle709 wrote:LOL. That's so fucked up. Some of these kids deserve it though...so I can't feel TOO bad.

Supernova wrote:

You're right, Alan, he should've let the manager slap the kid instead.

wants2laugh wrote: If a man jumped over a row of seats to approach my kid... he would have seen something coming at him in 3D and it wouldnt be the big damn iceburg! LOL

Alan Smithee wrote:

RedBedroom wrote:I call b.s. on him not knowing the age. It was a group of young boys acting up, their behavior gave away their age. I am sure, collectively, they looked like a group of Jr. high kids. That guy just has anger management issues.

I am not condoning the kids acting like idiots, but that is when you go complain to someone to get them kicked out.

Bluesmama wrote:He should have slapped the mother of the boy instead.

Alan Smithee wrote:

I agree in principle but just because the kid was cutting up doesn't necessarily mean his parents aren't doing their job.

wants2laugh wrote:like i said... the movie is PG 13--- maybe they should both sue the movie theater for letting the kids in without a parent!

wants2laugh wrote:REALLY>>> here they wont let the kids in without "adults"--- not necessarily a parent


i mean seriously... she is one of those parents whose kid goes missing from the bathroom while his friends are watching the movie and then will cry on camera "please send my kid home" bitch shouldve been in control

Alan Smithee wrote:

I guess there are just more pedophiles and such then when I was a kid. There was never a problem for my parents to send me off to a movie with a group of friends. Drop us off and pick us up.

Alan Smithee wrote:I'm not saying this particular woman is mother of the year material. My point is that when a kid acts up it's not automatically the parent's fault.