Waynesburg man gets prison for theater brawl, shooting

A Waynesburg man who escaped felony conviction earlier this year will still face prison time for brawling with a group of teenagers at a movie theater in 2019, the state Attorney General’s Office announced Thursday.

Chris Williams, 55, was sentenced to 2 to 5 years in prison on charges of reckless endangerment, disorderly conduct and simple assault.

Williams was charged in early May 2019, about six weeks after an altercation with six teenagers inside the Regal Theater in North Franklin. Police said the boys were causing a ruckus during a movie at the theater, which is part of the Washington Crown Center, shortly before midnight March 23.

Williams confronted the boys and then scuffled with them, and the altercation spilled into the hallway, authorities said. Williams fought the teens and then shot one of them in the leg. The teenager had to be airlifted to a hospital.

Multiple witnesses told investigators that Williams was the aggressor, according to Tribune-Review news partner WPXI-TV.

He was initially charged with felony aggravated assault as well as lesser charges, but a jury in May acquitted him of the felonies, according to the Associated Press. Williams had alleged the boys were waiting for him in a hallway, and he feared they would attack. The Attorney General’s Office, which prosecuted the case, said Williams went after the teens.

“The defendant was given the privilege and responsibility to safely and publicly carry a weapon. Instead, he lashed out at a group of young people, critically injuring one and terrifying others,” Attorney General Josh Shapiro said in a statement.